


Team AMBR: Finding Redemption

by Mojo1586



Category: RWBY
Genre: AMBR - Freeform, Alternate Canon, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Disability, Drug Use, F/F, F/M, Mind Control, OC centric, Original Character Death(s), Sexual Content, Swearing, Violence, racism towards faunus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 04:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 93,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8735158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mojo1586/pseuds/Mojo1586
Summary: The story of Beacon's newest problem child Team AMBR, consisting of a criminal trying to overcome his violent past, a sadistic Faunus with power she can barely control, a chatty rogue with a chip on his shoulder, and a silent girl looking for answers to questions even she fears to find. Will they succeed together...maybe, but they'll take on anything that says otherwise! [OC/Yang]
Follows Canon to a point, hoping to diverge far more in the future.
Originally posted on FF.net with the help of Da-Awesom-One. Tribute to Monty Oum





	1. ARRIVAL

**"…" – Spoken**

**' _Italics'_ \- Thought**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters, they belong to Monty Oum of Rooster Teeth Productions, and those characters you see not from the show, like the main character, are my own OCs for the purpose of the story. Enjoy) - Mojo1586**

ARRIVAL

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

_'God... I hate this dream...'_

* * *

**(Four Years Earlier)**

"Come on, how much longer is this gonna take?" I whispered in an exasperated voice, as the councilman droned on in the same boring monotone he'd had for the last hour now. "I've only got a week off from classes, you know."

My mother sighed in the seat next to me, shaking her head as she tucked a strand of long chocolate brown hair, same as my own, behind her ear and, smoothed out some wrinkles in her simple black dress, turning to face me with stern, pale grey eyes. _"_ Joel, this ceremony is big for your father. Don't slouch, and..." She reached out, grabbing at knot I'd made of my tie, "learn to straighten one of these things, will you? It's a suit, not a noose."

_"_ Seriously, though, is it supposed to go this long?" I grumbled under my breath as the man started on some tangent about honor, and... the _weather!?_

_'Does this guy even **remember** what he's going on about, at this point!?'_

"It was actually supposed to be done a half hour ago," she smiled working out the knot into some semblance of neatness. "Just bear with it. Here, look at Jake." She gestured next to me, where my little brother was sitting down, silently gazing at the speech behind a pair of sunglasses. "He's not complaining, is he?"

"That's 'cause he's _asleep,_ " I said with a grin, waving a hand in front of his face, only to unsurprisingly get no response. "Want me to wake him up?"

She then sighed resignedly, leaning back into her seat as she shook her head. "No... Just leave him. Frankly, he has the right idea." She then inched her head up to look around the podium, as if looking for something. "Someone should be... Ah, there we are!" As she spoke, an attendant ran forward, shepherding the aging official away from the podium, much to the relief of everyone present.

A portly man in a pinstripe suit and balding dark hair stepped forward, rubbing two meaty hands together. "Thank you, Councilor, for that... _riveting_ speech. I'm sure no one here will soon forget it..." He then coughed into his hand before continuing. "Now, as you all know, we are here to honor the efforts of Bastion's police force, whose tireless efforts, alongside those of our Huntsmen, has led to the recent capture and imprisonment of yet another White Fang cell trying to gain a foothold in our beloved city." At that, applause arose again, this time a little more genuine, and not out of professional courtesy. He paused for a second, letting the cheers that had started up quiet down, before continuing. "Special commendation for these triumphs goes to the man responsible for leading the task force. A man whose service, and unyielding determination, will not go unacknowledged, and has helped make our city a safer place." The man smiled widely, gesturing back as my father stood up from his seat behind him, straightening his dress uniform nervously, running a hand through his trimmed black hair, blue eyes beaming as he stepped forward. "Sergeant Thomas Ambrose... Our city needs more men like you standing up for its protection."

"Thank you, sir..." Dad bowed his head. "But it was a team effort, and the assistance of Bastion's Huntsmen was most appreciated." He glanced over to where we were seated, shooting Mom a quick lopsided grin that she returned.

"That may be, but as the man who put it all together, your superiors and I feel you deserve a fitting reward! Congratulations on your promotion... _Lieutenant._ " Everything else, event he councilor's boring speech, was worth it to see the shock on Dad's face as applause rose from all corners of the room, standing on their feet to recognize the man's achievement.

"I... T- _thank you, sir!_ I-I don't... I don't know what to say..." he stammered out weakly as he shook the mayor's hand.

"Say 'yes,' so we can all finally get to the food already." That got more than enough sentiment from the rest of the audience, if the laughter was any indication.

A short time and a few unscheduled press photos later found me sitting at a pristine white table, watching my parents socialize about, as hundreds milled about the extravagant ball room set aside for the award banquet. They both deserved a party; a chance to relax and let loose after months of stress during this whole investigation.

_'You guys have earned it.'_ I smiled proudly as Mom caught Jake trying to sneak off, and dragged him towards the dance floor.

"Is that... No... It can't be! Joel Ambrose! Hello, my boy!"

I spun around to see the man who had saved us all from that speech and had congratulated Dad clearing a wall of cameras and dignitaries, his pink eyes fixed on me. He was accompanied by a small girl with similar dark hair streaked liberally with blue, who was looking back at me from behind a pair of horn-rimmed glasses with the same eyes as her father's.

"M-Mayor Corbell!" I leapt up clumsily, almost falling out of my seat in my haste. "I-It's good to see you, and... Nat! Hehe, I-I didn't know you were gonna be here." I waved nervously at the girl, who smiled back warmly, if a bit hesitantly herself.

"Please, none of that 'Mayor' business! 'Nathan' is just fine; let's not stand on ceremony here," he corrected me with a false serious finger waggling. "Natalie's been filling me in on your progress at Aegis, but she didn't mention just how _big_ you were getting." The man clapped me on the back, looking me up and down. Natalie, meanwhile, just shrugged behind him, shooting me an apologetic look. "Taking after your father and grandfather in that regard, I see. Good on you!"

"With how small I was, I had to be due for a growth spurt at _some_ point," I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head awkwardly. "But, uh... Yeah, things have been going well, so far..."

"' _Well?_ ' Only a second-year, and _already_ racking up quite the kill count!" he went on, his grip like that of iron on my shoulder. "Just like your mother; a future hero of Remnant!"

"It was just a pack of Beowolves, sir. Nothing too special," I shrugged, "Anyone with proper training could have managed it."

"Well, that's a pack of Grimm more than I've ever hunted, eh? Why, you must tell me the story of how you..."

"Calm down, Dad..." Natalie interrupted pulling him off me, grabbing hold of my arm in the process. "You two can catch up later. Joel, let's go dance."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Nathan chortled. "Enjoy the festivities, you two. It _is_ your break, after all." He winked at me slyly before adding, "Just keep your hands where I can see them, alright?"

" _DAD!_ " she shrieked, face reddening as she pulled me away into the throng of people on the dance floor, at least for enough that his ears would not hear us. "Sorry about him... Dads, right?" she muttered quietly as she guided my hands into position.

"He's fine!" I laughed, desperately trying to remember how to waltz as we started moving. "My dad's just as bad with that sort of thing." I cringed as my foot accidentally stepped on hers. "Ah... Sorry if I get your feet. Still a little awkward at this..."

"Just let me lead," she replied with smile. I had no problem with that, as I was too busy trying to avoid her toes. "How is it that you can fight so well, but something as easy as dancing is beyond you?"

"No idea. But, hey, I'm making the attempt, at least." I glanced back at my parents. They were still talking with what must have been friends from Dad's work, before focusing on the very pretty girl in front of me wearing her strapless silver dress, that, if anything, only added to her... I felt my cheeks redden. "Y-you look nice!... I like the dress," I added quickly, hoping my blush wasn't too visible.

"Thanks..." She looked down, blushing slightly. "You too."

_'Wait... **She's** blushing... That's good, right?'_

We danced for a few more minutes, chatting amicably about classes and the like, before heading out to a deserted table on the edge of the room. On the way, I reached over, to the side, grabbing some food off a passing Faunus waiter's tray, and missing the cross look he shot me.

"Enjoying the party?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Could have done without the speech at the start... but I think it's come out alright."

I then recalled that her shoulders were also bare... _'Focus!'_

I leaned back in the chair next to her, stretching out my sore feet. "Thank your dad for me, will you?" I hesitated for a second, frowning to myself and looking away, before turning my eyes towards her again and continuing. "I know I've been a bit scarce since the hunting trip... Things have been pretty hectic lately with the White Fang and my parents..."

"It's alright," Nat sighed. She was leaning against my right shoulder now, I realized.

_'When did...?'_

"I _did_ sort of drop that on you with no warning, didn't I?... I thought I might've scared you off, to be honest..."

"It wasn't too much of a shock, looking back." I could face down a charging Ursa, yet _THIS_ was somehow more terrifying. "We were fast friends. I helped you learn to manage your Semblance, and you never gave me shit about my family legacy, or how I needed to 'live up to their glory.'"

My arm was over her shoulder now. I could smell her perfume at this point; it clouded my senses. _'Sweet... Some sort of flower, maybe?'_

"Y'know... I never _did_ get a proper answer." She had taken off her glasses, and her face was now dangerously close to mine, her pink eyes staring deep into my own blue.

I chuckled nervously, but felt a confidence in me that was making me braver. "You sure you want to hear it here? In front of all these people?"

She giggled at that. It was a sound that I found I enjoyed. "It's rude to leave a girl hanging, Joel..."

"Well, _that's_ no good." I grinned, extending my left hand to her cheek, and leaning forward, drawing her closer...

All of that ended a second later when I pushed her down with me, as an explosion blew through the room in a sea of multi-colored flames, and frightened cries that split the air. Shattered wood flew into the air, and twisted metal screamed...

* * *

**(Present)**

" _Ah!_ " I was jolted awake as the armored van ran over another pothole, sending my head crashing into the steel wall lining the back, shocking me into awareness. "Argh... Damn it..." I muttered while rubbing my head gingerly. I had to lean forward awkwardly to reach the bruised area; the chain linking my handcuffs to the floor didn't have much slack, and the itchy gloves and coveralls they had me wearing didn't help, either.

_'Thought I was past this...'_

"Finally awake, are you?" one of the armored officers said dryly, looking me up and down. "We were going to get you earlier, but it looked like you were having _such_ a _nice_ dream."

I sighed, leaning back against the hard wall. "Thanks... It usually starts well enough."

"We're only a few minutes out from Beacon," the one next to me, the one in charge, judging by the sergeant's patch affixed on his shoulder, said gruffly, chewing on the end of a thick, unlit cigar. "You'll be their problem soon enough, Ambrose."

"Aw, but you guys have been such _great_ company," I said sarcastically, jingling the chain on my cuffs at them. "And to think I believed we were actually bonding, here..."

" _Shove it!_ It's 'cause of you the bruises on my ass have bruises!" the one sporting a short mohawk across from me spat out, glaring my way. "Damn Huntsmen... Have to put their stupid school in the middle of nowhere..."

"I don't see why I couldn't just be transported by air like the other new students. I mean, I _was_ the one that volunteered to attend, after all." I gestured to the van at large, cutting off the man's whining before he could gain momentum. "It's not like you're all forcing me to do this..."

The sergeant chuckled softly. "And let you on an internationally-rated airship, just so you can escape and be well on your way to Vacuo within hours? Not a damn chance."

"Nah... Vacuo's _wayyyy_ too hot for me. Too many sandstorms... Though I do hear Mistral has great weather this time of year." I winced as Mohawk kicked me in the shin hard. "Joking; I'm _joking!..._ You do realize that, to take that airship, I'd have to take on _dozens_ of _highly-trained_ students, security personnel, and learn how to fly something that size all at once, _and_ unarmed? Aren't you guys giving me too much credit?"

"Better more credit, than not enough..." The sergeant looked down at his watch, flashing a signal to his men. "Never do know with you Trappers, after all. I've heard the stories." The truck came to a slow stop, finally settling with a long hiss. A few seconds afterwards, series of thumps rang out from behind the door. "Answer back," the sergeant ordered Mohawk.

He nodded, replying back with his own prearranged series of knocks, slamming his fist against the doors. It was all arranged beforehand; a knock and an answer. If they didn't get the right series of knocks in time, then the doors would not open. I guess the guy managed it, because the door opened after about half a dozen clicks, blinding me as light poured into the confined space. Another click and a rattle followed that, as I felt the chain holding my cuffs fall to the floor.

"Move it!" A gloved hand pulled me to my feet, and shoved me out the door roughly, sending me stumbling onto a neat cobblestone avenue.

I had to blink for a few seconds to clear up my eyes. Months of low light had taken its toll, though the view was definitely worth it. I couldn't help but whistle at the impressive sight of Beacon Academy looming above me, its ramparts reaching high into the clouds.

"Definitely bigger than Mom made it out to be..." I muttered.

"...It all _does_ seem rather larger than life, doesn't it?" a calm voice spoke up from behind me. I turned around to find a pale, middle-aged man with tousled gray hair and glasses, sporting a black suit, a black buttoned vest with a green undershirt underneath, and an ornate-looking cane in hand looking back at me from my left side.

_'Well, someone hasn't changed much...'_ I rested on the balls of my feet, watching calmly as the great Professor Ozpin himself, Headmaster of Beacon Academy and living legend, made his way towards our group with a steady gait, looking quite the same as he had a month before when he'd first come to see me about this little offer of his. _'Hard to believe he runs all this...'_

Standing a few steps behind him, however, was an unfamiliar woman, with light blonde hair tied back in a tight bun, but with a curl hanging down the side of her face. She was chatting with the driver, probably wondering if I had been any trouble to them during the trip. She was nice looking, in a mature, professional sort of way. Bright green eyes behind a pair of ovular glasses, and wearing clothes that frankly looked more at home in an office setting then at a Huntsman Academy... Well, at least aside from the black and purple tattered cape she wore across her shoulders. What drew my attention almost instinctively, however, was the object hanging off at her thigh. It was a holster that was too out of place to be anything but some sort of weapon, though what it was exactly, I couldn't quite make out.

_'A Dust Mage, maybe?... She doesn't seem like a melee type...'_

"I'm sure it must be a little jarring for you. Especially after what you've been through these past few months," Ozpin suddenly said, drawing my attention away from the Huntress.

The sergeant strode towards him and saluted. "Professor Ozpin, Sergeant Johnson of the Vale Military Police Force. We've dropped the prisoner off, as per your instruction."

"Thank you, Sergeant, for you and your men's hard work. I know it wasn't an easy trip," the man replied, nodding to each of the assembled men in turn. "I'll be sure to make a note of this to your superiors after things are settled here... Now, would you please remove Mr. Ambrose's bonds?"

The man's statement got some of the other men to look startled. I even heard a few gasps slip their mouths.

"S- _sir?_ I-I _must_ protest...!" Johnson started, but a quick far off glare from the Huntress present silenced any misgivings quickly enough. Relenting, he instead nodded to Mohawk, and gestured towards me. "Private, uncuff him!"

The man moved forward slowly, hand on a thin baton hanging off his belt. "No sudden moves, murderer."

I just shrugged at him, holding out my hands expectantly while giving him a small grin as he undid the cuffs. When they were gone, I spread my arms widely, stretching out my sore muscles, working out the kinks in my back that had accumulated during the trip, before breathing in the clean air of Sanas in blissful contentment.

Unexpectedly, he then leaned toward my right ear. "Don't get too comfortable; I'm certain I'll be seeing you again _real soon,_ " he sneered just loudly enough to avoid being overheard.

I massaged my knuckles, nodding along absently as he pulled back. As soon as I saw his body relax, I lashed out with an open palm strike with my right hand, catching the unsuspecting guard full in the face, and snapping his head back with a loud crack. The man made to grab for his nose with a shocked squeal, before I followed up with a right sweeping leg kick that sent him to the ground hard in a choking heap. As he gasped raggedly for breath, my heel wound up on his windpipe, applying gentle pressure.

I would've likely continued, but the simultaneous clack of weapons being drawn gave me pause. I noticed laser sights dotting my clothes, the other guards in position around me having their fingers on the trigger. The woman, on the other hand, had a short riding crop in her hand, held loosely like a wand or sword.

_'So **that's** what it was...'_

I raised my hands up slowly, backing away from the whimpering guard, who gulped for air gratefully as I removed my foot from his neck. "Sorry... Guy kinda deserved it. He's been spitting in my food for months." The guards hadn't dropped their weapons yet, but that didn't faze me much.

"Stand down, Sergeant!" Ozpin evenly called out while stepping forward, bringing his cane down with a loud clap on the stone pavement. "Collect your man, and be on your way... You have my sincerest apologies. We will be sure to cover his medical expenses."

Johnson, having taken his eyes off of me, sighed, before moving forward, and dragging the private to his feet. He shot me a last minute glare, before making his way back to the truck along with the rest of his men. I kept my eyes on him even after he'd entered the truck, looking away only after I was sure it was departing peacefully.

_'Old habits die hard, I guess...'_ I chastised myself inwardly.

"And as for you, Mr. Ambrose..." the Headmaster started, glancing back at me sternly. "I'd prefer it if you could avoid repeating such actions in the future. Unsanctioned acts of violence will _not_ be tolerated at this establishment... Do I make myself clear?"

The air suddenly felt somewhat colder as the man narrowed his eyes, a tightening pressure gripping my lungs. Still, I didn't know what was more intimidating: his glare, or the cool, even way he'd addressed the warning. Either way, both were more than a little unnerving, and enough to send a chill of panic down my spine.

"R-right, sir... Understood," I stammered out quickly, giving him a short nod.

The Professor returned it, his expression finally relaxing. He gestured for me to follow him. I did so, and the woman with him followed behind me. It was likely to make sure I wouldn't try to escape. As if I even wanted to...

I followed him into one of the buildings inside the massive campus, leading me through winding corridors, and more than a few flights of stairs. Eventually, he ushered me into a large, darkened room with no windows, and a metal desk with two chairs spaced in the middle. It looked frighteningly enough like an interrogation room, albeit lacking the chains or barely-concealed bloodstains I was used to.

Ozpin entered after me, taking a seat behind the desk while dropping a large pile of folders he'd taken from his blonde aid, or whatever she was. I recognized a few of the files as transcripts and personal information likely concerning other students. The one I saw plainly was those namely belonging to a... Ruby Rose, if I was reading that right. She must have bern some sort of prodigy for the Headmaster himself to be taking interest. I took the seat across from him unprompted. The woman then placed a glass of clean Valean water in front of me, which I greedily gulped down a second later.

"Joel Ambrose. 18 years old..." the woman read methodically off of her Scroll in a measured tone. "You were born within the Frontier City of Bastion to Thomas and Patrice Ambrose. Attended Aegis Huntsman Academy with high marks, until being caught up in a terrorist attack instigated by the White Fang, that claimed the lives of both parents and nearly two hundred others, including the city's mayor, Nathan Corbell."

I must have tensed noticeably, because she paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"You were reported as missing shortly afterwards, but later resurfaced as an agent, or by the common term 'Trapper,' of the Red Hand, a radical pro-humanist group formed by victims of similar attacks dedicated to eliminating the White Fang and its members by any means necessary..."

"Want me to finish that for you?" I spoke up, cutting her off before she could move on. I earned a sharp "tsk" from her in the process. "I'm guessing something along the lines of 'willingly surrendered himself to police custody, promising information on the Red Hand in exchange for the full pardon of one of his accomplices, and was given a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole...' That about sum it up?"

"Now, now, Mr. Ambrose. She's merely stating facts for the record. She doesn't mean any offense... Now, let us get straight to the point..." Ozpin started affably. " As you know, I am Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of this Academy, and this woman here is Glynda Goodwitch, my aid in charge of student affairs, and one of your future teachers."

"I know; I've heard the stories. You two are legends here in Vale."

"And we've heard a great deal about you, as well..." the older Huntsman replied as Glynda placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of him. "I actually knew of your mother; I don't think I mentioned that the last time we met. Patrice was both a fine woman and a remarkable Huntress." He took a quick swig, seemingly unaware of my clenching fists. "She didn't deserve to meet her end in such a way..."

"...Thank you, sir, but I didn't come here to discuss my mother..." I remarked, a note of bitterness entering my voice. "I'd prefer to get to the matter at hand."

"As you wish... Glynda, please fetch the boy's effects."

"Right away, Professor." She adjusted her glasses, giving me a harsh glare before leaving the room.

"...You'll have to forgive her. She was one of the faculty members that was against the idea of bringing you here. She feels that it's dangerous to place you amongst the student population."

"It's alright... Not like I can't see where she's coming from... It's a perfectly reasonable reaction, in my book."

"To be perfectly honest, many of those who know of this decision are against it, as well," the Professor continued. "It took many of my connections within the Valean Council, as well as more than a few promises to acquaintances in other Kingdoms, to arrange your release from prison after only a mere five months."

"Which begs the question of _why_ you chose to go through all of this trouble, just so I could attend your academy?" I responded calmly, body tensing slightly.

"...I've always been a man who believed in second chances, as I'm sure you've gathered from our last meeting, Mr. Ambrose. Your abilities, if what we have on you is to be believed, are extraordinary for one your age. I believe that such talent is better spent facing the Grimm, saving lives, and doing good, rather than wallowing away inside a jail cell, wasting away. Before this, however, I do have some more questions of my own that I wish to ask you... If you'll allow me?"

"...Ask away."

"Why did you surrender yourself to the police, and, now that you are here, will any Faunus students be in danger because of you?"

I contemplated the question, taking a few seconds to sip on any remaining water in my glass, as well as working out how I would describe my answer, seeing as it was obviously critical to me staying here.

After thinking to myself for almost a good minute, I took a deep breath and answered him. "I won't go into specifics..." I started, staring into the man's face, and trying to meet his gaze. "I've done a lot of bad things in the name of vengeance... I left because I realized that that path had made me into the very thing I was fighting to destroy..." I bowed my head as a great feeling of shame washed over in my chest. "As for your other question... I've _never_ hated the Faunus themselves. Never blamed them for what the White Fang did, unlike many of my former comrades... Part of why I left was because the organization started to lose sight of the difference..." Most Faunus would probably share my views on the Fang, if less extreme, come to think of it. "But I swear to you, sir... On whatever shred of honor I have left in me, they won't have any trouble from me..."

I leaned back in the chair as the blonde professor reentered the room carrying a cloth bag under her arm. I accepted the bundle with a polite 'thank you,' smiling internally as her expression softened somewhat.

"...A passable answer," the Headmaster said with a warm smile. "Your weapons and equipment are all there, along with what personal effects you had with you at the time of your surrender..." Ozpin noted, pointing at the large bundle with a free finger, tapping away at a desk-mounted Scroll with the other. "We took the liberty of obtaining a new set of combat gear for you to use. For anonymity's sake, of course."

"I appreciate it. The mask might've made things difficult," I quipped, but was surprised when Goodwitch produced a black metal half-circle, and held it out to me.

"Place this on your neck in the most comfortable way you can," the older Huntress ordered curtly.

I hesitated for a second, before taking the circle, and bringing it up to just below my Adam's apple. Suddenly, I drew in a quick intake of breath as the circle latched onto my neck. The thing stretched until it completely encircled my neck, each seam blending in perfectly, and leaving no indent visible.

"W-what the...!?" I clutched at the strange device as it conformed to my neck's shape, almost drawing on my Aura right then and there. "You...!?"

"That is a tracking collar designed with Aura-enhanced prisoners in mind," Goodwitch explained, keying in some figures to her Scroll. I noticed a few bio-metrics pulsing rhythmically in time. "It's powered by your own Aura. The collar relays a signal directly to mine and the Headmaster's Scrolls, giving us access to your current location and medical status, and allowing us to keep better track of you." She glanced up as I kept fiddling with it awkwardly. "It's nigh indestructible, even with a Semblance like yours. That collar will only come off if we take it off, or you die."

"All in all, I would advise against making any sort of escape attempt while that collar is still functional," Ozpin added, setting aside his mug, and leaning forward to rest his chin on his hands.

"What, is there a bomb set to blow my head off if I try to leave without permission?" I asked as I poked at it with a careful finger, the strange device already feeling light as air and warmed to my temperature. If I'd had my eyes closed, I probably wouldn't even notice it. "...There's _not,_ is there?" I asked a bit more unsurely.

"Nothing so barbaric..." Ozpin assured as he gave me a reassuring grin. "If you try to escape, we'll merely send Professor Goodwitch to collect you... in which case, I'm certain you _will wish_ the collar had an explosive in it."

I glanced up at the bespectacled woman, shivering slightly at the implication. _'Note to self... **Do not** screw with this woman.'_

"...I'll keep that in mind."

"Excellent. Then let me be the first to welcome you to Beacon Academy." He stood up, holding out a hand towards me. I took it, but was surprised at how strong his grip was. "I expect great things from you, Mr. Ambrose. I look forward to working with you."

* * *

_'...Well, this day hasn't gone as badly as I thought it would._ ' I thought lazily as I stepped out of the locker room shower, staring at my reflection in the steam-fogged mirror for the first time in what felt like months...

Actually, it _had_ been months.

I ran a hand through my short-cropped, stark white hair, blue eyes watching as I pulled a razor from the kit Ozpin had given me with the other hand. I quickly shaved off what dark stubble had built up over the last few months. Once that was finished, a quick peek at the Scroll sitting on the counter next to me indicated that it was almost noon.

"Other students should be showing up pretty soon..." I sighed, pulling out the gear the Professor had provided.

Aside from two sets of the standard Beacon uniform, Ozpin had provided a pair of grey jeans, a blue t-shirt, and a short-sleeved black hoodie, along with a pair of finger-less gloves and combat boots. I also found a collapsible blue ballistic chest plate, along with pairs of knee and elbow plate pads that I strapped on over the outfit. I did a few quick punches and stretches, finding that the armor did little to restrict my own movements, and would actually help considering my fighting style. Last, but not least, I pulled _Storm Circuit_ out from the side pocket, staring down at the nearly two-foot long cylinder, before tracing the weighted silver ridges spaced evenly along its length. The weapon had served me well enough against the White Fang. I could only hope it would handle Grimm just as effectively. Strapping the weapon to my back using a thick sheath, I also placed two small rectangular dispensers at my sides on each hip.

Feeling satisfied with my appearance, I left the bathroom, making my way to a small garden just outside the main building. Looking out towards the front of the campus, I watched as the fleet of airships nearing the school in tight formation, before looking on to the others that had already landed.

"Been a while since my last first day of school... It feels like a lifetime ago..." I muttered under my breath, reminiscing on my earlier days in Aegis, before shrugging as I made my way towards the nearest airship docking station. "Might as well look like I came in with everyone el...!"

A loud explosion rang out from the direction of the station along the main entrance way where the rest of the first years were docking.

A twinge of panic shot through me, hand reaching for my weapon, before I ran towards the direction of the explosion. I sprinted the rest of the way, coming to a stop outside the school, before looking around. " _Where!?_ Where did...!" There were indications of scoring on the pavement, but from the signs of it, I realized that that whatever the explosion had been, it had been very light. Like a small Dust explosion, or weapon misfire.

"Oh..." I sagged slightly in embarrassment, making sure to put my weapon's compact form back in its sheath. It had been five months since I left the Hand, but it seems that a lot of the old habits were still ingrained in me. _'Old habits **do** die hard...'_

Still, a part of me was curious about whether or not anyone got hurt. It was a bad sign if the school year started with a terrible tragedy. Unfortunately, there was no sign of anyone who might have been involved, or might have seen what had happened.

No one... except...

"Hey you, up in the tree!" I glanced up at where a girl sat up amidst the branches reading a book. However, since I called out to her, she was now looking at me with a surprised look on her face.

She had a very light complexion, to the point of being almost pale. She long, wavy, ebony black hair, complete with a black bow on the top, which seemed to stand out, if only because it was the most unassuming part of her attire. Aside from that, she had a black buttoned vest with coattails, along with a white undershirt that exposed her midriff. On her legs were a pair of white shorts and dark colored stockings. They started with the color black at the top, but faded steadily into violet as they ran down her legs, and depicted some sort of white flower emblem. _'Not as flashy as most Kingdom-trained Huntresses these days, at least.'_ What really caught my attention were the eyes, however. They were amber-colored, but slightly tinted upwards, like that of a cat's, almost glowing in the shadow cast by the overhanging branches.

"...You noticed me?" she asked, sounding genuinely impressed.

_'Definitely a ninja, this one.'_

"I have pretty good ears," I replied, walking up to the base of the tree, tapping my head. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened here? I heard an explosion, and came running as fast as I could."

"'Came running?'" she said, a note of amusement in her voice this time. "Not a lot of people just come running towards explosions."

"Guess I'm not a lot of people," I shrugged, scratching the back of my head, while also hoping I was doing a good job of hiding the fact that my earlier haste was because of harsh conditioning. "And it sounds like you know what happened. Mind sharing?... For curiosity's sake..."

"...Some girl in red was getting a lecture from Miss Weiss Schnee, herself, about the dangers of Dust, when she sneezed, setting off some powder she was carrying." The girl's eyes looked me up and down, settling on my face for maybe a second, before she turned her gaze back to her book. "She stormed off afterwards, while the girl went somewhere with another boy. They're probably at Orientation by now. "

"... _Weiss Schnee!?_..." I responded, mentally cringing at the harsh surprise in my tone.

"Yeah..." she answered, looking back at me with an arched eyebrow. "You know her?"

I quickly shook my head, doing my best to sound convincing. " _No!_ No, I just... Uh... I'm just confused. I mean, isn't she from Atlas?... _And_ a Schnee? What would she be doing at a place like Vale?"

She merely rolled her eyes, looking back at the book in her hands. "Your guess is as good as mine."

I nodded with a hum, before frowning as I realized something. "Wait... Orientation's going on _now!?_ "

"Yep..."

"Oh, crap, I'm gonna be late!" At that I quickly twisted around to head for the amphitheater, before stopping and looking back to her curiously. "Uh... Don't you want to start heading for Orientation, too?"

She shook her head at me, never taking her eyes off of her book. "Don't worry. I'll get there on time."

"...O... Kay," I relented, about to go head for the main hall, before looking back at her. "Say... You got a name?" I inquired to the girl on the tree.

"Blake," the ninja supplied, flipping a page absently, glancing up at me again curiously.

"Cool. Name's Joel... Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you?"

"Seems likely." She went back to her book immediately after. I knew enough about women to know that this meant she was done talking, and so I went on my way.

Weiss Schnee... The heiress to the Schnee Dust Company was here at Beacon... The Red Hand had done a job for her father about a year and a half before I'd been arrested, that had involved me acting as her bodyguard. Despite spending months around her, the girl had barely said a word to me, apart from orders and insults. A bit arrogant, that one. The most meaningful conversation we'd ever had had basically gone along the lines of _"You fight pretty well, Miss Schnee,_ " followed by " _Why are you talking to me, creep!? Just do your job."_

Not the most entertaining task I've been assigned.

_'And now she's here, of all places...'_ I mused to myself. _'...I wonder why...'_

* * *

My ears were bombarded by by the voices of many students, as I entered into the amphitheater. Various peoples of different races, sizes, appearances, and genders stood before me, each either talking amongst others, or minding their own business. I briefly looked up to glance around the room, seeing that the seats on top around the room were empty, before sighing deeply, and making my way into the crowd.

"Uh, excuse me... Sorry... Pardon me..."

I weaved through the sea of people to stop somewhere near the front, but not directly in the front row. My eyes looked directly at the stage at the center of the room. I saw a microphone, there, but no sign of anyone actually going to speak.

_'I wonder what's taking him?... It wasn't some extra stuff about me, was it?...'_

Looking to my left, I arched an eyebrow. I saw what looked to be a a blonde girl carrying a girl with black hair in her arms. It was kind of silly, like something one would see in one of those morning cartoons from the weekends. My eyes then narrowed at who the two were cringing away from.

_'So she **is** here...'_ I could make out that white, off-center ponytail of hers anywhere. It seemed she was holding out something to them... A pamphlet? _'What the...?'_

I slowly looked away. She wasn't paying attention to me, but I didn't want to risk her recognizing me. Still... I wore a mask in my days as her bodyguard, so there would be little to no chance she would recognize me. Regardless, the paranoid in me won over.

_'Gonna be **very hard** to kill those old habits...'_

I then looked in the other direction, looking out amongst the heads in the crowd. One managed to stop me, if only because of what the person was doing. It was a blonde head of hair, short and spiked. The person, a boy I realized, was looking to his left side, and talking as he looked down.

This act confused me slightly. _'Is he... talking to himself?'_

" _Move!_ "

My observation was cut off as someone, a girl judging by the pitch of the voice, shoved me roughly to the side, moving past me to go to the front. Looking back indignantly, I saw a flash of red hair, as well as what appeared to be a pair of ears on top of the head... A pair of dog ears only found in Faunus.

That alone sent a chill through me, much to my own displeasure, frustration, and shame.

"H-hey!" I cried, annoyance apparent in my voice.

Before I could speak further, she cut me off with a sharp snap, and a very obvious middle finger right to my face. "Shut it, asshole!"

Gritting my teeth in anger, I was about to tell the girl off, when a loud screeched echoed from the stereos through out the room, making me cringe, as it was a rather unpleasant sound for one with ears like mine. A loud cough, the type used to clear one's throat, caught my and everyone else's attention, making us all look to Professor Ozpin, who now stood on the stage behind the microphone. Glynda Goodwitch was standing right behind him to his left.

"I'll... keep this brief," he began, tilting the glasses perched over his nose. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft, and acquire new skills. And when you've finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

I crossed my arms as I listened to his speech, focusing on his words. In my case, my skills and craft were already pretty honed. If anything, this was more rehabilitation and conditioning, than anything else.

_'And a sentence...'_ I reminded myself, tugging on the collar on my neck lightly. _'...With an arrangement I probably don't deserve...'_

His next words caught me slightly off guard, if only because it was somewhat having the opposite effect of what he should have been trying to convey. "But I look amongst you... and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose; direction."

If he was hoping to gain everyone's undivided attention, he certainly got it with that.

"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far... It is up to _you_ to take the first step..."

With that, he stepped away from the mic, indicating that his speech was over. Goodwitch then walked up to the microphone. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your Initiation begins. Be ready... You are dismissed!" With that, throngs of people already began to move out of the stage.

Meanwhile, I stood there, watching the two adults leave the area, before looking down at my right hand, flexing it.

_'Wasted energy... That's all I really was these past few years,'_ I thought to myself, staring directly into my hand as I unclenched it, before twisting it around to look at the forehand.

A brief memory flashed through my mind. A pool of blood. Three bodies, with my hands over the chest of one of them. Bear ears...

My face cringed as I groaned, closing my eyes, before shaking my head. When I opened them again, I was still in the amphitheater, and there were still students leaving.

Taking a few deeps, a swallowed and exhaled from my nose. _'The first step... I've already made it.'_ I then looked down at my hand again. _'But... will I be able to follow through with it?...'_

* * *

Night fell pretty quickly, and I soon found myself camped out in the ballroom with the rest of the first years, sleeping on the floor in a loose shirt that I'd pawned off another student and shorts, using my duffel as a pillow. From what I'd gathered from a few of the other students, we needed to complete the some sort of Initiation activity the next day, or we wouldn't be able to stay at Beacon.

' _Which basically means I'll go back to jail if I don't pass... **Yay**_ **.** _'_

I groaned as I sat up. At the rate my thoughts were bothering me, not to mention certain snores my ears picked up despite the earbuds I was wearing, sleep wouldn't be happening. I then noticed a bit of candlelight shining at the other end of the hall through the corner of my eye. Deciding I might as well investigate it, seeing as I had nothing better to do, I stood up, and made my way across to that area, carefully avoiding stepping on the sleeping students. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face reading by the candle in a black yukata.

"Oh, it's you."

The ninja from earlier looked up from her book. "Hey... Joel, right? You aren't stalking me, are you?"

"Nope. Just a weird coincidence, with a bit of curiosity on the side, I swear," I explained. "Blake, right? Sorry. I couldn't sleep, and saw your candle's light from where I was laying down. I wanted to see if it was quiet enough to listen to my music peacefully... It kinda is, to be honest." I then frowned when I realized something from the slight shift in her eye. "But if it bothers you, I can go somewhere else, if you want. I don't mind."

"...No, no, it's alright," she sighed after thinking to herself for a few seconds. Blake then gestured to the spot next to her. "Just don't make too much noise, okay?"

"Thanks. I won't; I promise," I nodded with a small smile, before sitting down gingerly, pulling out my new Scroll, along with the pair of earbuds that had come with it. Switching on one of the tracks I had downloaded a few hours before, my head bobbed to the steady beat before I knew it.

We spent a few minutes like this in peaceful silence. In prison, it had been, for the most part, just me alone in a cell, with nothing else to do but exercise and meditate for hours and hours on end. Still, even that got boring after a while. It did teach me that you didn't have to speak to someone, though. Sometimes, just having people be present was enough.

A light tap broke me out of my reverie, making me blinked wildly as I tried registered what had disturbed my peace. Looking up, I saw a girl with a blonde, wild mane of hair, which almost seemed to glow in the dim light, wearing an orange tank top looking down at me with a pair of curious lilac-colored eyes. Another smaller figure nearby, who was talking with Blake about her book, had black hair tipped with red highlights, and had... Silver eyes? That was something that I'd never seen before. Aside from that, she had a black tank top with what seemed to be a heart-shaped... Beowolf? Yeah, definitely eccentric.

"Sup, big guy?" the blonde grinned, somewhat breaking me out of my observations, flashing me an appraising look. "Name's Yang. And _this..._ " She indicated the girl next to her. "Is my little sister, Ruby. Nice to meetcha!"

"Uh... Hi there...?" I just stared back and forth between them dumbly, before fully snapping back to reality.

_'Ruby... The girl from the file?'_

"You alright?" Blake asked, a concerned look crossing her face. "You kind of zoned out through our whole conversation."

"Sorry..." I apologized, blushing slightly. "I tend to get wrapped up in my music, sometimes. It's... been awhile since I've been able to just sit back, and enjoy it."

The raven-haired girl nodded, accepting the excuse, while our blonde guest examined the pair of us. Her sister, Ruby, looked as if she'd rather be somewhere else, as long as it wasn't here. "So... are you two friends? I'm sorta helping this one out," Yang asked, pointing between me and Blake as she hauled Ruby out from behind her, the girl letting out a small squeak of fright from the action.

We glanced at each other quickly before I answered for us. "Not exactly. We just met today... I suppose 'acquaintances' is more accurate." Blake nodded in agreement, eyes darting back to her book.

_'Thanks. Abandon me to do the talking, why don't you?'_

"Really?... Huh. I thought you two might've known each other. You know... like some dom-sub thing you guys got going on, or something," she explained while grinning evilly and pointing towards her neck.

I reached up, remembering the tracking collar I was still wearing. I'd actually somehow managed to forget it was there, funny enough. "I-it's just jewelry," I said quickly, blushing lightly. Blake remained stonily silent, face suddenly buried in her book, though I noticed more than a little red there, too.

" _Yang!_ You just can't say that to people!" the smaller girl said frantically. "It's rude!"

"Really? My bad!" Yang laughed loudly, patting Ruby on the head and ruffling her hair playfully.

"...Anyway, Joel, this is the girl you were looking for earlier," Blake said, indicating Ruby, who jumped.

I blinked in confusion, before recalling our first encounter. "What? The one who exploded?"

" _DOES **EVERYONE** KNOW ABOUT THAT!?_" Ruby cried out, her face now matching the color her highlights. " _IT WAS AN **ACCIDENT!** BUT SHE STILL YELLED, EVEN AFTER I READ THAT STUPID PAMPHLET SHE GAVE ME!_ " She was getting louder, almost to the point where the entire hall was going to wake if this kept up.

"Well, Ruby, Yang... It's been a plea..." Blake tried to calm her down. However, before she could finish...

"What is going on, over here!? Don't you realize some of us are trying to _sleep!?_ " An annoyed voice called out as a white haired girl, long hair hanging down around her face, wearing a faded blue nightgown, stormed towards our group pale blue eyes glaring daggers at us. I didn't really need the snowflake symbol on her upper right chest, the logo of the Schnee Dust Company, to know exactly who this was. The crooked scar across her eye threw me for a loop, however, as it hadn't there when I'd left. I resisted the urge to grimace upon seeing it.

Aside from that, and a few other barely noticeable changes, Weiss Schnee hadn't changed much in the past two years, it seemed. I turned away slightly, trying to stay out of her focus, though, thankfully for me, her focus seemed to be fixed on the pair standing before us.

**"OH, NOT _YOU_ AGAIN!"** Yang and the heiress screamed simultaneously while Ruby tried to keep the peace. Well... keep Yang from ripping off the heiress' head, by the sound of it.

_'Guess I now know who it was she was snapping at during Orientation.'_

"Hey, I'm gonna call it a night." I waved goodbye to Blake as she set her book aside with a sigh, reaching for the candelabra. "Thanks for letting me hang around. I hope I wasn't too much trouble."

"Not at all. It wasn't your fault." Blake blew out the flames, plunging the room into darkness, making Ruby cry out a last minute shriek.

I made my way back to my bed, doing my best not to laugh.

* * *

" _You!_ White hair, by the locker!" a commanding voice called out from over my shoulder as I tightened the last strap on the chest plate, giving it a firm rap with a closed fist.

"Huh?" I looked over to see Weiss stalking towards me. _'Here we go...'_

She had changed to an attire that I was more familiar with: namely her somewhat impractical "combat dress" that she'd used for her training sessions. She was wearing a pale blue, long sleeve vest, with red on the inside, and frills on the end of the sleeves. I couldn't see it, since she was facing me fully, but I knew that there was a white Schnee Crest on the back of her vest. Underneath it was a similar pale blue thigh-length skirt - a _skirt,_ no matter what fancy name she gave it - with her Multi Action Dust Rapier attached to her left hip.

_'Still wearing heels to a fight, I see...'_ Not that I had much of a problem with it seeing as she could more then handle herself even with the impractical footwear she wore. Her hair was no longer hanging loosely, having instead opted for an off-center ponytail held together by a fancy tiara.

She held a thick binder and pen in her arms with a serious expression on her face. I pulled _Storm Circuit_ out, placing it on my back, before shutting the locker, quickly turning to face her with my arms crossed.

"Are you... talking to me?" I asked while feigning ignorance, pointing to my chest as the heiress stopped in front of me, standing to her full height, and trying to look imposing and official. Admittedly, the effect was a bit lacking, seeing as I was still more than a head above her, easy. And that was her height whilst wearing her boots; she was shorter without them.

"You were the boy hanging around with that one girl the other night. The one talking to those annoyances, correct?" she stated more than asked, icy blue eyes staring into mine like daggers. It was unlikely that the girl remembered me from one short conversation over a year ago, but it still had me on edge.

"If you mean Blake, Ruby, and Yang, then yeah, I am. Joel Ambrose," I greeted hesitantly, leaning back against the locker. "Did you, uh... want me for anything?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. My name is Weiss Schnee, heiress of the prestigious Schnee Dust Company..." She opened up her binder, turning to a fresh page, with pen primed in her free hand. "It's common knowledge that students at Beacon are placed into teams of four for the length of their time here. I have already secured Pyrrha Nikos as a teammate, and am currently evaluating other students in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she finished haughtily.

"Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Yes. Pyrrha Nikos. Top of her class at Sanctum, renowned for winning the Mistral Regional Tournament for four years in a row, setting a new all-time record. She's widely considered to be one of the most successful upcoming..."

"Oh right!... Hey, isn't she the girl on the Pumpkin Pete's box?"

"... _Yes_... Yes, she is..." Weiss answered, though it almost sounded like a growl. "She and I will be partners."

* * *

**_-Weiss Schnee-_ **

_'And from there, our partnership will be one that generations will look back on with reverence. Students will be talking all about the smartest girl in class and her partner, the strongest student in class. We'll be amazing! We'll be untouchable! Celebrities among the students! They'll all line up to just grovel at our feet! We'll...!'_

* * *

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

I found myself arching an eyebrow, as the heiress suddenly had closed her binder and looked to the side. I could sort of make out her face, which, oddly enough, looked almost like that of a mad scientist.

_'She's doing it again...'_ I thought to myself. During my time as her bodyguard, there were a few times when she got a good idea, and often over-romanticized it in her head. Thanks to the mask I wore, she didn't know that I saw when those moments happened, though, honestly, seeing how she spaced out...

" _Okaaay_... So, Weiss..."

"Miss Schnee," she corrected quickly, cutting me off. I blinked in bewilderment. That girl had gone from her reverie back to her harsh approach within _milliseconds_.

" _...Miss Schnee..._ " I amended quickly. "Let me get this straight... You want to interview me to see if I'm good enough, by your standards, to be on your team. Yes?"

"Was that not clear?"

I shook my head, shooting her an amused grin. "No, no, I get it. So, uh, when do we do this interview? The Initiation's in an hour."

"It's already started," she said icily, hand already scribbling frantically on the piece of paper, muttering under her breath. "Observational skills are somewhat limited. Asks questions..." She grit her teeth at that one. "What school did you attend before coming to Beacon?" she asked suddenly, shocking me into action.

"I attended Aegis Academy in the city of Bastion, a while back. You ever heard of it?"

"Of course." She sounded as if she were offended I would even ask such a question. Judging from what I've seen of her, she probably was. "Subject has attended well-known Huntsman Academy. Likely possesses requisite skill for position, but must account for Aegis Huntsmen's lack of willingness to act in groups, or in a command structure."

"Subject what...?" I began to ask before being cut off by another quick question.

"Do you have difficulty following orders from a superior?"

"Depends on the superior, I suppose."

"Subject is unsure of answer..."

"Alright, can you _stop_ with the subject talk, for a minute!?" I interrupted her, now visibly annoyed. However, I yelped shortly after, as she smacked the tip of my nose with the end of her pen, before continuing to write.

"Aggressive and irritable when generalized... Will have to be rectified, if selected..."

Her eyes narrowed suddenly, as she leaned in close to me, pulling my hand away from the nose I was nursing. "...Do I know you?"

My heart froze, but I kept my face calm, trying to give her a look of honest confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lied quickly, giving her an innocent smile. "Not even sure how that would be possible."

"I'm not sure... It's just, I could've sworn..." Weiss muttered, leaning back as I breathed an internal sigh of relief. "No matter. Now, back to the next question. Have you ever..."

She was stopped by Glynda Goodwitch's voice ringing out over the loudspeaker. _"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation? Again, all first year-students report to Beacon Cliff, immediately."_

"Well, gotta go! Good luck on Initiation!" I said quickly, making my escape while Weiss was distracted, ignoring her calls for me to come back.

"Please, please, _please_ don't let me end up on her team..." I muttered, running pell-mell towards the cliffs, and trying to ignore the fact that if I didn't pass this test, my world would go back to being a whole lot smaller.

* * *

"For years, you have trained to become warriors," Ozpin spoke as he faced all of us assembled students lined up along the cliff on a series of stone platforms. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Goodwitch continued, holding a Scroll in her hand. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... _Today,_ " she noted, staring intently at each of us.

The news sent a flurry of excitement rippling down the line, except for maybe a small squeak from Ruby. To be honest, I didn't much care who my teammates were. I'd adjust and move on, no matter who I was paired with.

_'Getting paired with Yang or Blake might be nice... Maybe Ruby, too, if she's okay with it,'_ I thought to myself, glancing quickly over to the girls in question, before looking away. _'As long as it isn't Weiss. I don't think I could take that higher-than-thou attitude for very long...'_

Judging from what the Headmaster was saying, the first person I make eye contact with in the forest would be my partner for the next four years. From there, it was just a matter of getting past the Grimm, and retrieving a relic from a temple at the northern edge of the forest. The whole "instructors will not intervene" thing was a bit sketchy, though not unexpected. Aegis had been full of sink or swim assignments when it came to Grimm hunting.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked after finishing his speech.

A blond haired boy in white plate armor raised his hand, trying to get his attention. "Yeah, um... Sir?" he said weakly, moving forward slightly.

"Good!" Ozpin finished, ignoring the young knight completely. "Now, take your positions."

I felt a slight rumble in the platform beneath me. Realizing what was about to happen, I crouched down, drawing on my Aura for the first time in five months. I smiled widely as the world suddenly seemed so much clearer, more vibrant, and my body pulsed with raw energy. Blue arcs of electricity sparked to life across my body, kicking up dust, and sending the students on the platforms next to me inching back in alarm.

_' **God,** I missed this...'_

I noticed Goodwitch staring at me out of the corner of one eye, as a red flash emanated from one of the screens on her Scroll. _'So she's going to be keeping an eye on me, huh?... Well, let's give her a show!'_ I thought gleefully as the platform jolted upwards, sending me flying through the air, as the forest flashed below me, growing steadily closer.

_' **LET'S GO WILD!** '_

-END

**_-CODEX-_ **

**The Frontier-** A common name for lands considered outside of a Kingdom's influence or protection, the dragon continent on the upper left of Remnant acting as a prime example. Treacherous weather, hostile Grimm, and hosts of other dangers plague the region, though through the efforts of brave settlers and Kingdom assistance in return for resources found, settlements popularly known as "Frontier Cities" have begun to reappear sporadically in the region, creating a foothold. Walled off and well defended, these sites represent Mankind's will to take back Remnant from the tyranny of the Grimm.

**Bastion-** One of the oldest, largest, and wealthiest of the Frontier Cities for its silver and Dust mines - both great assets against the Grimm - Bastion has stood strong for generations in hostile territory, fighting Grimm and nature alike. It is a beacon of hope that represents the notion that Remnant's reclamation is possible. Situated farther in the Frontier than most, Bastion, as a result, has developed a culture well apart from the Kingdoms. Wealthy families descended from its founders, large business owners, and its defenders, the Huntsmen, stand at the top of society, just underneath the elected Mayor and Councilman, who act as the city's link to the Kingdoms, as well as in running the city's affairs. With the proximity to Grimm and the danger they present, skilled Huntsmen are treated almost like celebrities, becoming household names to its citizens, and popularizing Aegis Academy, the city's Huntsman Academy.

**Aegis Academy-** The sole Huntsman Academy in the region, and one of Bastion's most famous landmark, Aegis stands simultaneously as one of the most well-respected, and most demanding Huntsman Academies on the face of Remnant. It recruits qualified persons at the age of 14, though with the harsh trials placed on Initiation, most hopefuls train for a lengthy period even beforehand in preparation. The school acts as a primary and secondary school. Due to Bastion's traditions, the school has a tendency to focus more on personal performance and glory, encouraging harsh competition between its students, in an attempt to push them to their best and stand out. These practices makes the school rival even Beacon in its reputation for creating superior Huntsmen with greater individual skill, but with often limited team effectiveness as a result.


	2. MEETING NEW ALLIES

**Edited as of (10/22/16)**

**PB: Da-Awesom-One**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters, they belong to Monty Oum of Roosterteeth Productions, and those characters you see not from the show like the main character are my own OCs for the purpose of the story. Enjoy) - Mojo1586**

**So I'm trying something new out with this chapter's dialogue, it's not a big change though. "-" indicates spoken, ' _italics_ ' handles internal thoughts or observations. A friend showed me a Mass Effect fic _Mass Effect: Testament of the Last American Soldier_ by _Blade8821_ that uses this format and I thought it was creative and would save me the trouble of having to awkwardly explain it's a thought. Anyway Enjoy and feel welcome to leave thoughts and comments.**

MEETING NEW ALLIES

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

" _OH SHIT!_ " I yelled, barely dodging some kind of bird as it blew past me. A distant squawk told me one of the other students hadn't been so lucky.

_'Need to focus on my own situation, right now,"_ I thought rapidly, grabbing _Storm Circuit_ from its sling, and spreading my arms and legs wide to slow my descent.

"This might suck a bit..." I grimaced, twisting in mid-air, before aiming _Circuit_ away from me as I keyed a button, releasing an eight-inch dagger from the tip of one side. Another press sent the blade flying off, trailing a thick-woven silver fiber cord linking it to the tube behind it as it flew. The blade embedded itself in a massive tree trunk with a loud thunk. My momentum then carried me in a circle around the tree, narrowly missing a few large branches, until I jerked the weapon back, recalling the blade as the cord rewound itself, shredding deep furrows in the trunk, and sending up sparks. I was in free fall for a short ways more before rolling onto the ground to kill momentum, coming up on my knees, ans breathing heavily shortly afterward. After a few seconds, I got to my feet shakily, dusting myself off, and glancing back at savaged tree with a mix of disbelief and pride.

"That... actually wasn't too bad, really," I grinned. "Not bad at...!?"

As I started moving along to be on my way, however, my foot caught itself in a tree root just in front of me, tripping me, and sending me tumbling face first down a sharp hill. My Aura protected me from any real physical damage, though it did a lot less for my pride as I lay sprawled in a brightly lit clearing.

" _Okay..._ Too confident... Probably deserved that," I muttered to myself depreciatively, spitting out some dead leaves. "Have to get back in the swing of things..."

I heard a whoop of excitement and a large boom from above. Looking up, I saw a yellow blur fly above me, laughing the whole way. _'Well, there's Yang, at least...'_

I was on sudden alert as I heard a noise nearby, making me gaze around at my environment intently. Ozpin had said there would be a great deal of Grimm in this forest, and sure enough, I noticed a pair of glowing red eyes staring back at me from the shadows... No. Make that _three_ pairs, as a group of Ursa trundled into the clearing in front of me. They were large monsters that looked like bears, but covered in black fur and bone-like spikes, complete with the skull-like mask all Grimm wore. I took a slow step backward, a twinge of primal fear threatening to shoot through me as their eyes fell on me. I'd forgotten how intimidating it could be, standing face-to-face with one of the Creatures of Grimm.

I quickly suppressed it, and pressed another switch on the weapon, watching as the weapon extended into a long staff tipped with a blade at both ends. " _Bring it!_ " I cried out as they charged forward with a loud roar.

I ducked underneath the first one's paw, bringing the staff up in an upward arc, and grinning at the dull hiss and thump that I felt, as the still-twitching appendage fell to the ground behind me, only to dissolve a moment later with a low hiss. The beast itself stumbled back with a howl of pain. One horizontal swipe from the bottom end of my staff later silenced the pitiful creature with a bloody gurgle. Twisting quickly, I aimed the staff head carefully, firing one of the blade wires into the tree, before grasping tightly as the wire pulled me out of the way, just as one of the other Ursa leapt at me.

This rush... I'd forgotten what it felt like sitting in that cell... The feeling of letting loose after so long...

I twisted in the air, hitting the tree feet first, and used it as a board, rebounding towards the Ursa that had attacked. In mid-air, I hit another switch on my weapon, making _Circuit_ retract again, before spitting down the middle, forming two knives attached by a thin silvery wire. Cartwheeling in mid-air, I slashed the back of the closest Ursa's neck, landing in a neat roll as the creature fell to the forest floor.

"Just you and me, big guy..." I stood up flicking off the trace amounts of quickly decaying blood, before reconfiguring the weapon back into its storage mode, placing it back in its sheath. I held out a hand and flipped off the bear-like monster with a wide smile on my face. "I _swear_ I'll make it quick."

I'd been cooped up so long, I couldn't resist the challenge.

The beast stared at me hesitantly, probably weighing its options. At least if it had half a brain, anyway. It charged forward suddenly, teeth flashing brightly. I dodged left, reaching down to thumb the dispenser on my belt, before dislodging a small chip that extended into a thin throwing knife. The monster reared back to try again, but I moved forward, stabbing the dagger deep into its stomach. Silver seared through the thick folds of fat and muscle like butter.

"This is gonna hurt a lot!" I muttered, tapping into my Aura, feeling my hair stand on end as I discharged my Semblance, my _Conduction,_ directly into its body. The Ursa jerked violently for a few seconds, roaring in pain, before falling backwards, its body smoking lightly.

I sighed, not bothering to retrieve the knife from the corpse. _'Probably fried anyway.'_

I shrugged, looking down at my handiwork, before a loud crash made me look up. It had come from a short ways away, if my guess was right. Another student, most likely, and, judging by the rapid firing, they were either up against some large odds, or just plain trigger-happy.

* * *

**_-Professor Ozpin-_ **

"How is our special student doing?" I asked Glynda, gazing out at the carpet of green beneath us. The students had encountered their first Grimm, if the far-off sounds of explosives and gunfire were any indication.

"I have a camera on him now, and the collar is transmitting perfectly." Glynda's Scroll gave a short beep as she swiped the screen. "It seems he ran into an Ursa pack, and removed them without much difficulty. A bit rusty, it seems, but I attribute that to the time spent imprisoned, rather than personal ability."

"So he impressed you?" I said, shooting her a smug grin.

"I'll admit, Professor..." She adjusted her glasses, giving me a stern glance. "Your plan to enroll Mr. Ambrose isn't entirely without merit, it seems. However..." She gazed down at her Scroll, eyes widening slightly. A slight crack in her usual professional facade that I didn't miss.

"What's wrong, Glynda?..."

"It seems Mr. Ambrose is on the move. Perhaps responding to a conflict close by?" She began typing furiously at the Scroll. "I'll see who the student closest to him is... Hmm..." She paused, eyes narrowing in obvious concern. "This _might_ pose a problem..."

"Oh?"

"It's Miss Argus," she relayed, shaking her head slowly. "Incredible..."

"As I recall, Glynda, you were against me accepting Miss Argus, as well," I stated, pleasantly surprised at this turn of events. "Fate does seem to have a strange sense of humor..."

"You do realize Miss Argus would've barely passed the psych review of her entrance examination, Professor, if you hadn't spoken out for her?" Glynda shot back defensively, "But despite her... tendencies... there's still the matter of their compatibility if they meet up."

"He's given us his assurance, and his word, that his past will not influence his behavior in regards to the Faunus..." I gazed back at the forest, noting a small black cloud in the distance. A fire, perhaps?

"I'm not talking about matters of race here, Professor!" She turned me around to face her, eyes set. "I'm talking about two of the most potentially _dangerous_ students we've seen this year being put on the _same team!_ Both lack any real experience working in groups, as it is!"

"Things will play out as they will, Glynda..." I set a hand on her shoulder, giving her a warm smile. "I have faith that these two will succeed. Remnant needs strength like theirs."

"I just hope that they direct that strength towards the Grimm, rather than at each other," she muttered, still seemingly unconvinced, though for the moment the topic was dropped.

' _She does present a good point, though,_ ' I thought to myself, sighing as I stared at the far off smoke clouds. ' _I do hope Maxine has mellowed out since we last talked...'_

* * *

**_-Maxine Argus-_ **

"Run, little bitches! _RUN!_ " I screamed loudly, gripping the pair of carmine colored submachine guns I held in my hands tightly, spraying round after round in quick bursts at the Beowolves circling around me, and laughing with every body that hit the leafy floor of the clearing I'd landed in. An area that had been generously occupied by a large Beowolf pack.

" _Goddamn,_ I love Beacon!" I cried, ears twitching as they picked up the sound of a Beowolf coming at me from behind. _'Nice try!'_

I swung around to slice through the Grimm's carotid with the heavy bayonet affixed beneath the length of the weapon's barrel, sending blood glittering through the air like rubies splattering across my face with a comfortable warmth, before they dissolved entirely. I stared around at the remaining toys I had. I counted five Beowolves; two bleeding from severed limbs and/or bullet holes.

"Aw, looks like the fun's almost over..." I pouted sadly. That was the sad problem with fodder. There was always a ton of them in one place, but they always ended up dying before I could really start enjoying myself.

I shrugged as two of the Beowolves charged forward, jaws frothing madly. "I could just shoot them like the rest, I suppose... But what would be the fun in _that!?_ "

Grinning, I clicked the two guns together, as a short handle extended from the buttes of the guns, while the bayonets on both sides stretched outwards, shifting themselves into sharpened axe blades, and finishing both guns' fusion into a heavy battle axe.

"Come on, boy! Time to play!..." I whispered lovingly to the weapon, before dropping into a crouch, weapon reared back.

I brought the axe around in a low sweeping arc that removed the legs from right underneath the first Grimm that reached me. The beast howled in agony as it flailed overhead, landing behind me in a thrashing heap. The next Grimm tried to attack me while I was off balance, but found its head on the ground shortly after, as the axe changed direction in mid-air faster than it could react, bisecting it in a shower of arterial gore and torn sinew.

" _Ohhh_ **_yes..._** "

My eyes fell on the remaining three. They were hanging back, watching me intently.

"C'mon, it's no fun if you guys don't join in!"

I motioned towards the crippled beast behind me, whining almost pitifully as it tried to crawl away. The Grimm didn't take the bait. They were growling, but also... _backing away!?_

"Shit..." I growled, anger quickly overriding pleasure as I took in the sight before me. "Pussying out at the end like this!? Are you _fucking_ _kidding me!?_ "

Suddenly, the pair of monsters nearest to me spasmed wildly, before slumping forward to the ground. I spotted tiny bits of silver embedded in their backs.

"What the...?"

A figure leapt down from one of the trees, and nearly decapitated the last one with a long, dual bladed staff, taking it down before it could even hope to react. The newcomer landed in a crouch a short ways in front of me. It must have been one of the other students; a human guy dressed in dark clothes, with blue-colored armor plates on the chest, knees, elbows, and some strange metallic collar. What drew my attention was the hair, trimmed short, messy, and as stark white as a blank canvas.

"You alright?" he asked, looking me up and down as he worked his weapon, pausing slightly on the pair of dog ears sticking out of my hair. But unlike most who scowled at the sight of me, he just seemed curious. "Heard fighting, and thought you might need the help." The staff compressed with a series of rapid clicks before he placed it in a sheath hanging off his back.

"...Well, I'm fine," I said curtly, resting the axe on my shoulder, and taking a look back at where I'd left the crippled Grimm, disappointed to see that it had managed to crawl off on its own while I'd been distracted. It didn't matter much, though. With no legs, it wouldn't be getting too far. By the end of the day, it would have either bled out, or get torn apart by some other predator. "I had things handled. Now kindly shove off."

"Little bit hostile, aren't we?... You sure you're okay?" he asked with a note of concern, stepping down from the corpse. He was lean, but a big one, nonetheless, standing almost a head over me, not counting my ears. "You look a bit flushed..."

_'Fuck him for noticing!'_

"I said I'm fine!" I scowled pushing my way past him, and heading for the closest copse of trees. "I didn't ask for your help!"

"You're right, you didn't..." the student shrugged, wrenching the silver weapons from his kills, which I saw were thin daggers, now that I looked closely. He compressed them into small rectangular slots, before slotting them into a container on his belt with a click. "But you _do_ realize you're going the wrong way, right?"

"...Huh?"

"That's South," he said matter-of-factly, nodding towards the direction I was heading. "Ozpin said we're supposed to be heading _North._ "

"And that's what _I'M_ doing. Heading North." I spun around, growling at him. " _YOU_ just showed up out nowhere, unasked. So I don't see how _WE_ have to do anything."

"No, you're heading _South..._ " He pointed a thumb towards a nearby tree, the trunk covered in a thick green moss. "And our eyes met. So, according to the rules, that makes us _partners._ And as your partner, I say we actually go North... Unless you have someone else here, and they're just invisible."

"Our eyes didn't meet, if I didn't _say_ they've met!" I spat on the ground angrily, hefting the large axe until I held it out in front of me, glowing red with Aura. "I'm better off on my own! More fun for me, that way."

"...Well, to be honest, I'd prefer that, too..." the boy said, shaking his head. He was remarkably unintimidated for someone having an axe pointed at him. "But we both know that if we want to stay at Beacon, it's gonna be on a team. So we have to at least _try_ to run through the motions. And besides..." He glanced up, looking at the near top of a thin oak tree. I followed his line of sight, before quickly spotting the small shine hidden in an upper branch. "I think we'll both have a hard time explaining to the professors why we didn't pair up..."

I wanted to argue - _really_ wanted - but as much as I didn't want to admit it, the guy had a point. One of Ozpin's conditions for helping me pass the entrance exams had been that I learn to play well with others... But someone like _this_ for a partner, though? I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about him gave me a bad feeling. He was tall, but not too physically intimidating. Something about him just put me on edge, however. It was instinctive, almost.

_'He's **dangerous...** '_

"Damn it...!" I gritted my teeth, seething at what I had to do, before turning on my heels and moving past him, doing my best to avoid looking him in the eyes as I did. "Since I guess it looks like I've got no other choice, I suppose we're stuck together... Just don't get in my way, got it!?"

"Sounds good to me," he said, crossing his arms behind his head, before moving to follow me. "Name's Joel, by the way. Joel Ambrose. And you are?"

"Pissed off..."

" _Damn._ How'd you ever get by with a name like _that?_ " he laughed.

" _Fuck you!_ " I growled, gripping the haft of my weapon even tighter. "It's Max! There, happy now!?"

"Downright elated, actually."

_'Scratch that earlier thought. Beacon was really starting to **suck.** '_

* * *

**_-Benjamin Carson-_ **

_'Alrighty, then... Inhale... Exhale. In... and out.'_

I sighted down the crosshairs, focusing in on a patch of brush a few hundred meters away.

"Right there?" I asked the girl next to me, waiting for an affirmative tap before flaring my Aura, my eyes glowing a brilliant emerald green behind my goggles, and confirming her assumption as I took a deep breath.

_'Three... Two... One...'_

I depressed the trigger, _Hangman's Glory_ jolting back hard as it send an 8.6mm Dust-charged round rocketing towards the bush, blowing the head clean off of an Ursa just as it burst from behind it. I adjusted my aim instantly, firing again just in time to catch its fellow as it came through to check its fallen friend.

"Boom." Satisfied, I exhaled slowly, letting my Aura fall back to its normal level as I got to my feet. I brushed off the faded green poncho I was wearing over a padded, tan, long sleeve shirt, with my emblem, a green cross hairs with a cracked deputy star in the middle, emblazoned over the heart. There were several dark leather belts above my dark brown cargo pants, each laden with packs bearing ammo and other tools.

I sighed in relief as I slung the long hunting rifle over my bandaged shoulder. "That's the last of 'em," I declared with relief.

I looked down, noticing Reika still hunched over on her knees, violet eyes closed, with her brow furrowed beneath ebony hair that hung loosely down her back, body glowing with a deep purplish energy. That was as much as I could tell in terms of facial features, with the lower half of her face concealed behind a thick metal mask depicting the jaws of a Beowolf. The girl was small, barely coming up to my chest at her full height. She was wearing black shorts, and a tight-fitting sleeveless shirt underneath a shortened, violet yukata depicting her sakura flower emblem on the back, complete with a pink sash. On her feet were short black boots, with a round steel tip at the toes. Her eyes opened as the glow of her Aura faded, looking up at me with a curious glance, before pointing off to the west of us.

"..."

"Students?" I asked, receiving a quick nod from the girl. "Is it that new power you felt a few minutes back?"

She shook her head, flashing me a quick flurry of hand motions.

"...Two close by, then, huh?... Well, if you're sure." I helped her up, giving her a quick nod. "I say we check 'em out. Thinkin' I'd rather have two bodies between us and the Grimm, anyway."

"..."

I held my arms up defensively as she shot me a sharp glare. "Kiddin'; I'm kiddin'! You need to be so literal, all the time?"

She shook her head once, before leaping off to the next branch, navigating the thick upper branches with a rapid pace I was barely able to match whilst lugging my gun around . We continued on like this for a few minutes, until she suddenly stopped, stretching out an arm to stop me before I could go forward any farther.

' _Shit!'_ I spun in mid-air to avoid hitting her, fumbling out with my bandaged right arm to catch the branch and spin up onto it. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I quickly rounded on my partner. "Dammit, Reika! Maybe you could give me a little warning before you do that next ti... _Eck!_ "

Her palm lashed out, clapping against my mouth hard to silence me, while she used her free hand to point ahead. "..." she put two fingers in front of her mouth, or at least where her mouth must've been.

"...Just up ahead, huh?" I nodded at her, letting her know that I had also picked up the sound of voices now that I was focusing on our surroundings, anyway. Crouching down, I slipped my goggles over my eyes again, clicking one of the side buttons to activate the right lens' zoom-in feature. Sure enough, I could make out two figures, a male and a female, judging by their shapes, walking side by side. And judging by the tone of their voices...

' _Guessin' there's some issues, there...'_

I raised the magnification a touch and brought them into greater focus. The girl was a Faunus, some kind of canine, judging by the ears. She was lightly tanned, with auburn hair that fell down to her shoulders in waves, and reddish-brown eyes. She was dressed in a pair of torn red jeans, black converses, and black finger-less gloves. The nails on her hands were also colored differently. Each one was a mix of red, blue, green yellow, and purple. She also wore a white t-shirt covered in dark stains that left much of her midriff exposed. Around the chest area was an emblem of a red dog head facing forward, with a human skull in its sharp jaws. ' _Not bad...not bad at all.'_ Over her shirt was an open crimson padded flak jacket. Heavy front-liner type, seeing as she was packing a large, double-edged battle axe on her shoulder, the weapons length covered in crimson plates, and vivid spray painted designs of blue, orange, green, yellow, black, purple, etc. If there was red, it was hard to see.

The other guy, though...

I slid the goggles up quickly and got to my feet, startling the small girl next to me. "Damn..." I muttered under my breath. "That might change things, a bit..."

Reika shot me a quick flurry of signs, eyebrow raised up in confusion.

"Hey, just trust me, okay?..." I shot her a sly grin and a wink. "And let me do the talkin'?"

"..."

"...Sorry. Couldn't resist."

* * *

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

" _So..._ Max... That short for something?"

"Maxine..." the Faunus grunted back at me, keeping her head forward as she led us through the undergrowth.

_'A Faunus... Some celestial entity in the universe had to be laughing its ass off, at that one... Well, this is nice,'_ I thought sarcastically, rubbing my eyes gently. It had been a half hour since I'd met my... partner, and I was just now getting a full name. ' _Progress_.'

"You usually this chatty with everyone, or is it just me?"

"...There are certain types of people I don't like..." she started, ears twitching irritably. "People who don't shut up when I want them to, and people who think that just because they're Human means they're better than me. You're doing a pretty good job with the first, at least."

"Well, _sorry_ I want to get to know the person I'll have to spend _four years of my life_ with." I kicked at a few loose leaves. "But if you really want me to back off, I will," I said, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around to face me. "As for being above you..."

"Haven't met many Humans that didn't put themselves up there after they see these." She rubbed one of her ears with a free hand. "Nothing against you Humans - not really - but I won't have someone lording over me, or hating me for being what I am."

"Don't worry about that," I laughed, surprising her. "I don't hate Faunus like most people. I personally try to keep my hate unbiased and reserved for people who've actually done something to me." She looked away, spitting on the ground at my feet. "Anyway, judging by the last half hour with you, I doubt your being a Faunus is going be the issue with us working together."

"What, don't like my attitude? _Tough._ "

I was about to bite back a retort when a voice called out from the tree above us, startling us both into action.

" _Trouble in paradise, you two?_ "

Within seconds, Max held two heavy submachine guns in her hands, while I held a thin knife in my right, each of us aiming at a boy with spiked blonde hair sporting goggles, a tattered green poncho, and what looked to be a large rifle strapped across his back just stepped from behind a tree ahead of us holding his arms up in a gesture of surrender. His right arm was covered in bandages that ended at his shoulder.

"Easy, easy! I come in peace!" the student said hurriedly, jumping down to land in front of us, hands still raised, "We're all students here, aren't we?"

I glanced over at Max, who did the same to me, gesturing with her head towards the strange student. I shrugged, lowering my knife, while the Faunus took slightly longer.

A look of relief crossed the student's face, as he put his arms to his sides, nodding to both of us. "Good... Had me worried there, for a second," he laughed nervously.

"Great. _Another_ one..." I heard Maxine growl under her breath. I noticed she still had her fingers on her weapons triggers. "Just what I needed."

"Hear that more than you think, beautiful..." Her eyebrows rose as she opened her mouth in a flushed snarl, but he cut her off. "Anyway, name's Benjamin Carson." He held out a hand towards me. "Though my friends just call me Ben. Was thinkin', since we've got the same goal in mind, maybe you two wanted to team up with us and get the relics? It'll make it that much easier for all of us to pass!..."

"So, essentially, you want us as meat shields between you and the Grimm," Max growled. "Why would we even want your help?"

"I take it you guys have no idea where the temple is, do ya?" he inquired, eyes flashing as Max grit her teeth. "Or were you guys just gonna keep goin' North and see what happens? It'll be dark in a few hours. Not enough time for a full sweep. We can help you help _us._ "

"Or better idea..." The Dog Faunus hefted one of her guns, pointing it in the other student's face, and clicking off the safety. "You tell me where it is, and this doesn't get ugly... And what the hell do you mean by ' _us!?_ '"

Ben closed his eyes and sighed. "Hoo... I'd put that down, if I was you... She doesn't like it when people point weapons at me."

"Who are you...!?"

" _Max!_ " I extended out my arm to push the gun away, but paused as the loud click rang out from behind us. A masked yukata-clad girl had appeared behind the Faunus, with a violet-colored pistol-tonfa in her hand pressed against the back of Max's skull.

_'I didn't even hear her!'_

The girl had managed to get the drop on us completely, her eyes focused intently on me as I lowered my hand slowly. I could almost feel the rage emanating from Max, but in the end, she lowered her weapon again, though I could hear the creaking of her weapon's grip as she did so.

"Call her off, Carson!" I demanded,

"...Reika, it's okay." The girl glanced at the other boy, making a few wild gestures with her hand towards him. "Look, I know she's trouble..."

" _HEY!_ "

"But we can't just fly off the handle, here! We're askin' them for help, after all," Ben finished. He smiled a moment later, as the girl lowered her weapon and stepped back. Even as she did that, she continued to glare daggers at Max.

"There, see? _Friends._ " He smiled sheepishly. "Well, now you've met my partner in crime, Reika Murasaki..." He moved forward, putting his bandaged hand on her shoulder, before wincing as she delivered a solid hit to his ribs. " _Ah!_ "

"Nice to meet you," I greeted, nodding towards the small girl. "My name's Joel Ambrose, and this is Maxine. She hasn't deigned to give me a last name, yet."

"Argus!" the Faunus spat out venomously.

"...What she said," I finished lamely

The girl just stared back at me blankly. My eyebrows dipped in confusion, before Ben quickly stepped in.

"She... doesn't really talk much... Or at all, really. I've known her for a few years, now, and I've never heard her say one word." He glanced down at his hand, shrugging. "We worked out these hand signs as a way to communicate, though I can usually understand what she means, regardless... Well, usually..." He then clapped his hands together loudly, though I picked up a dulled ring accompanying it, like metal on flesh. "Though, that's not the point! We can get to the relics, but we'd prefer it if you guys helped us out."

"You sure you need us?" Max asked, pointing towards the masked girl roughly. "Your bodyguard there seems pretty good in a fight on her own."

"Reika has her specialties, sure, but she's still one person, and I only have so much ammo. We're more the 'strike fast, get out' types, not frontline fighters like you two seem to be." He eyed our weapons with an appraising look. "'Sides, I don't believe in leavin' important things to chance, and more bodies means a better chance of us gettin' through these woods safely, with a relic in each hand."

' _Not a bad thought, actually,'_ I silent agreed. I then took a glanced at the assembled group. I knew Max could fight, judging by the carnage she'd left in her wake when I'd first met her. And if Ben was anything like his partner, we'd be in pretty good shape.

"...Alright, Ben. We accept."

"Don't just decide that!" Max rounded on me indignantly, eyes flashing red. "These guys basically try to force us into carrying them the whole damn way, point a gun at me, and you actually wanna go along with it!?"

"Why not?" I retorted sternly. "You aimed your weapon first, not to mention that he has a point. Right now, we're just walking North, with no obvious direction. Hell, we could have passed it by now, for all we know. Forgive me for not wanting to stay in this forest past nightfall with the Grimm."

"Just because you're a little _bitch_..."

"Okay, that's _it!_ The _fuck's_ your problem with me!?"

" _OI!_ " Carson cut us off before we could continue, inserting himself between us. "Your buddy here has a point, Miss. You guys would've missed it completely, if you kept on this way."

"And how do you know that!?" Max shoved him out of the way, sending him stumbling back. "You got a map, or something?"

"Better, actually..." he affirmed through gritted teeth, pointing a finger back at his partner. "Reika's Semblance is _Sense._ She can feel Aura presences, or the lack of 'em, in the world around her. In other words, she can feel the location of other students, and even _Grimm_ , to an extent."

"Cute. Still doesn't explain how you know where the place is."

"Well... we don't know _exactly_. But accordin' to Reika, a few strong Aura presences have converged on a single spot throughout the day, and then left the forest. Probably students who were either lucky and found it by chance, or flew farther than we all did when Ozzy kicked us off the cliff."

Max shot me a burning glare. "So you don't know for sure if this is even the right place!? You just said you don't like leaving things to chance a minute ago!"

Ben's expression hardened visibly, eyes narrowing. "I trust Reika with my _life._ If she believes something's there, then something's _there_. Plain and simple," he explained, voice filled with a strange conviction. Even his partner seemed shocked at that.

"Well, if she's so sure..." I started before Max could get off another word, "then we'll take your word for it. Until we get to the temple, we're a team."

Max didn't sound pleased at the prospect, but said nothing, instead turning on her heels and striding away. Reika followed after her quickly, obviously intent on keeping an eye on her.

"Sorry about her..." I said to Ben, giving him an apologetic look. "I don't think she plays very well with others."

"Not a problem, man." He held out a hand towards me. "Reika's not that big on social graces, herself, but I'm sure they'll get along, eventually."

I grasped his hand, giving it a firm shake. "Here's hoping."

I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw an odd glint in his eye as he stared back at me.

' _Here's hoping I don't regret this..."_

-END


	3. TEAM AMBR

**"…" – Spoken**

**' _Italics'_ \- Thought**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters, they belong to Monty Oum of Roosterteeth Productions, and those characters you see not from the show like the main character are my own OCs for the purpose of the story. Enjoy) - Mojo1586**

TEAM AMBR

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

" _Duck low!_ " Ben shouted at me from his position in the trees a short ways away. I crouched down just as a piercing shot rang through the battle, the high-impact round splattering the head of a Beowolf behind me across a tree trunk.

' _Not bad,_ ' I mused, getting to my feet just in time to avoid another lunging Grimm, before slitting its throat with one of _Circuit's_ dagger blades as it passed with a quick upward cut. _'Sniping's hard enough, but this guy knows how to place his shots, and make it look easy...'_

I gazed intently around at the brawl going on around me. Max was a short ways away, swinging her weapon like it weighed nothing at all, dismembering Grimm in what could only be described as barely contained chaos with a manic grin fixed on her face. Between the two of us, we had the bulk of the pack handled, each of us marking out our own section to deal with.

Reika, on the other hand, stuck near Ben like a shadow. She took down any Grimm that got too close to him with a deadly combination of pistol fire and explosive blows, the tonfa acting as some sort of pile driver. I'd already seen the effectiveness of such a weapon in the bloody results lying on the ground. The way it worked was that a cylinder in the body would extend just before she lashed out with the head, blowing anything in front of it away in bursts of gore. Definitely a one-shot punch weapon. Overall, I couldn't help but be somewhat impressed by how easily we were managing.

I snapped my focus back to my own situation. A good half dozen large, furry, and _very_ angry Beowolves, including an Alpha, prowled in front of me, seeking an opening. "You know..." I said in a raised voice to the assembled Grimm, reassembling the staff and pointing a bladed end straight at the leader. "Fighting Grimm for a change is actually quite refreshing!"

I flared my Aura, and spun through the air. _'There!'_ I took two of them out with perfectly placed throwing knives to the forehead, not even needing my _Conduction,_ and dispatched a third and fourth with a pair quick swipes as I landed. ' _Like taking out the trash...'_ I casually sidestepped a clumsy swipe, spinning behind the beast as it moved forward, before driving a blade through its back. Pulling the weapon free with a wet squelching sound, I turned to face the Alpha, its red eyes following my every move.

Sighing, I planted _Circuit_ in the ground, rolling my shoulders lazily. Cracking my neck, I stepped forward, raising my fists in front of me.

_'Come get me, big guy...'_ I grinned, arcs of light sparking along my arms. _'I need the practice.'_

The Grimm let loose a blood-curdling howl as I dashed forward in to striking range, ducking beneath its outstretched claws to deliver a hard punch to its side. The monster reeled back from the blow, fur smoking at the point of contact.

' _Thicker skin... Looks like I'll need to take it up a notch...'_

The Alpha growled angrily, moving to tackle me rather than use its claws. Working off of instinct and training, I maneuvered myself forward, gripping an arm and the fur on its chest. I flipped it over me onto its back with no small amount of effort and a touch of Aura. Before the Grimm knew what had happened, my hand slammed down on its furry face.

' _Thanks, Dad...'_ I thought, pulsing my Semblance one last time as the Alpha jerked wildly for a few moments, before falling still. ' _That police training did come in handy.'_

"Holy..." I looked up as Ben came walking over through the carnage with his rifle slung over his shoulders. "I thought you might be good, considerin' you made it to this damn school. But an _Alpha?_ And on your own?... _Damn._ " He held out a hand that I took gratefully.

"You aren't bad, yourself," I replied letting him pull me to my feet. I retrieved my weapon from where I left it, and placed it on my back. "Nice sho...!"

The sound of renewed bursts of gunfire and manic laughter cut me off, as we both spun around to see the what had been a massacre seconds ago. Maxine stood over the body of a larger than average Beowolf, even bigger than the Alpha had been. Her weapons were smoking in her hand, a wide grin plastered on their wielder's face. That's when I noticed the Grimm was still moving and whining weakly, bleeding from a dozen bullet wounds. Not placed to kill, but to cause pain.

"Come on, get up! _GET UP!_ " the Faunus cried out, unloading another burst into its legs, and eliciting another pained bark. "That was nothing!" She kicked the beast savagely, a loud crack indicating she'd met bone. "I said _COME ON!_ "

She raised her gun to fire again, but leapt back as my knife thudded into the Grimm's skull, piercing the bone plate and silencing it once and for all.

"What the hell do you think you're- _AH!_ " I started, but was stopped as her fist crashed against my Aura, putting me on the ground in a shocked heap, with her above me, weapon aimed at my face.

"Don't _EVER_... interrupt my fun," she growled, voice tinged with anger and... disappointment?

"' _Fun!?_ '" I shoved the gun out of my face, and pushed her away roughly. "You were _torturing_ it!"

There was a flush in her cheeks. _'Embarrassment? No... She's getting off on this!?'_

"Who gives a shit? It's a _Grimm!_ " she shot back defensively, skin glowing a deep red with Aura. "We're supposed to kill it, anyway! What does it matter how we do it!?"

"Because..." I started, fist clenched, before hesitating.

_'Damn it... Who am I to talk? I never did it for sport, but it wasn't like I just had a pleasant chat with White Fang Agents when I caught them...'_

"Damn it... Look, do what you want, okay? Just keep it on your own time, and out of combat. That reasonable?"

She gave me a withering look, one of her ears twitching slightly, but in the end relented. She reinforced the sentiment by reassembling her axe and placing it back on her shoulder, before stomping off.

' _Great_...' I thought as I watched her go, rubbing my sore cheek tenderly. ' _She hates me... **and** happens to have a bit of a sadistic streak. Great way to start four years, Joel.'_

"That was... interestin'." Carson walked next to me, with Reika at his side shooting the Faunus a nervous glare.

"Yeah... Let's just move on."

"Wanna talk 'bout it?"

"Nope."

* * *

"So, Psycho..." Ben noted casually as we made our way through a particularly thick brush. We'd been at it about a half hour, following the sounds of fighting that, according to the small girl leading us silently through the wood, originated from our destination.

"Huh?" I retorted, shoot him a weird look. "...What did you just call me?"

"Psycho," he shrugged, flashing me a sly grin. "I give nicknames to new folks I meet. Bit of a habit I picked up. You'll get used to it."

"...Okay, but why am I 'Psycho?'"

"Oh, I dunno. Might have somethin' to do with the fact that you took on a Grimm willingly. _And_ barehanded," he chuckled genially, rubbing his nose. "I mean, if you don't think you deserve the title..."

' _Have to give him that. Wasn't my sanest decision ever. Besides, it could be my old one.'_

"Wasn't exactly barehanded. I had a slight edge."

"Yeah, that's what I mean. You throw knives that don't hit vitals, but still manage to kill 'em, and the things you touch die. Can't help it if I'm a bit curious if you have somethin' goin' for ya."

"You're right," I held up an open hand while drawing on my Semblance, blue arcs of electricity crackling between my stretched fingers. "Let's say Reika has her tricks, and I've got mine."

"Nice..." He reached out with his unbandaged hand, jerking it back as a stray spark caught him. "Seems pretty handy."

"Yeah, it is. I can convert my Aura into electricity, and have a good resistance to outside sources," I explained, running the flow down my arm, feeling the hairs stand on end. "There are other uses, but the big problem is I need to have physical contact, or something to run the current along, for it to be much use in a fight."

"So the knives..."

"A friend developed them for me." I slid one out to show him. "They're of a much higher quality concentrated silver than _Storm Circuit's_ blades, but a lot less durable. They act like miniature lightning rods, allowing me to project a weakened pulse over longer distances. The wires in _Circuit_ are the same. Each part of my weapons is a potential conduit."

"Weakened?" he said in surprise, eyeing my arm warily. "It drops Grimm like a bug zapper, and you call it 'weakened!?'"

"Depending on how close I am, it's a lot worse at the source. Trust me."

"...Remind me never to spook you, then," he nodded. "Does it... I dunno, hurt? When you do it?" he asked nervously

I released the flow reluctantly, watching the motes of light die down steadily. "It used to... I've got countermeasures, now, and my resistance has only grown. Barely even feel it anymore, unless I go overboard."

"Good to know," the sharpshooter said, before stopping suddenly, bringing the group to a halt.

"What's the hold up!?" Max called back. "Aren't we close?"

"Need to take a leak." He turned to me with a sheepish look on his face. "Mind watchin' my back?"

"Why do you need him?" Max questioned, as she gestured towards Reika. "Take your shadow with you, if you're scared."

"Forgive me if I'm not leapin' for the chance to have a Grimm get me with my pants down!" he laughed. clapping me on the shoulder. "Besides, I wouldn't ask a lady to subject herself to such a task... You, though..." He shot her a wink.

" _Fine!_ Take him. Just don't take too long!" she scowled, flipping him off.

"Whatever. Let's get this over with," I sighed, following the man into the brush a good ways off. "I'll be right here. Do you need some space?"

"Would you be so kind?" I nodded, turning around to stare at the copse of trees, before I heard the sure sounds of liquid hitting the forest floor. "Sorry. I'm a bit shy."

Sighing exasperatedly, I took a few steps away from him, looking away from his urinating out of courtesy. "Really?"

" _Hell no._ " I made to look back at him, but the audible click behind me gave me pause.

' _He pulled his gun on me!?'_ I managed a glimpse back. Ben stood behind me, gun aimed straight for my heart. A canteen was tipped on its side, hanging from a tree. ' _Sly son of a...'_

"The hell is this!?" I asked, keeping my voice leveled as I scanned my surroundings. _'No way I can pull a weapon fast enough. Nowhere to go, either...'_

"Don't try it!" he barked out, clicking back the lever on his rifle. "You've seen how accurate I can be. And from this range, your Aura won't stand a _chance_ up against these shells."

"...Well, then... I guess you have my attention," I sighed. He was just out of my range too. From where I stood, I could maybe tickle him with static if I tried hard enough. Maybe mess up his hair, at best.

"Good. Now, this is how things is gonna play out. I'm gonna ask you a few questions, and you're gonna give me answers... If I like 'em, then we head back to the group like nothin' happened. If I don't..."

"What? You'll shoot me?"

"I'd give you the chance to leave, but if you forced the issue, then a Grimm'll happen to attack, draggin' you off as I fire off a desperate shot in surprise, tryin' to save ya. I'm sure your partner won't care much."

Sadly, I was almost certain he had a point there.

"Alright, point taken... What did you want to know?"

"Pretty simple, really..." He tapped a finger at his neck. "I was just wonderin' why you were wearin' that tracking collar."

"I-it's not...!" I stammered out, but he held up his gun, finger poised on the trigger.

"You get _one_ pass. Next time you try to lie, a bullet hits your heart!" he growled, articulating each word slowly and clearly. "My name's Benjamin Carson, son of Bill 'Hangman' Carson. You probably wouldn't know of him here in Vale, but he made a pretty big splash in the Badlands for raidin' SDC Dust shipments."

"And that involves me, because...?"

"Well, one day, somethin' happened that made my father turn himself over to the authorities. And in return for a few benefits, one of which bein' mine and Reika's attendance here, he was allowed freedom to act as an Indentured Huntsman, trackin' Grimm as a part of his sentence. The big thing was that, whenever he was out in the wild, he had to wear a collar, just like the one you have, so that they could keep an eye on him." He shook his head slowly as he rounded to my front, before gazing me straight in the eye, green eyes watching my every move. "So I wanna know what you did to earn that collar."

"Does it really matter that much to you?" I asked questioningly with an even tone. "Why do you care about why I'm here?"

"I care because, beyond a possibly fake name and a powerful Semblance, I know little about you other than what that collar means."

I couldn't help but laugh at that last bit. "Yeah. That I did a bad thing."

"That, and it means that Ozpin, or whoever it was who organized your release, thought you were worth the effort to train here... which means Reika and I would rather have you on our side helpin' us. Though, yeah, have to be careful, too... Now tell me what you did."

I said nothing at first, pondering about what I would say, or whether I even wanted to tell him, even if he had a gun to my face. Still, reason prevailed, and I decided to come clean... Somewhat.

"You don't need specifics... But... I did quite a bit," I revealed with a shrug, thinking back to my trial bitterly. "Though I suppose the big one that I got put away for, primarily, was _murder..._ That answer your question?"

Ben gave a short whistle of surprise; he might have even had his eyebrows raised from my confession. "Damn... Didn't expect that... Who was the poor sod?" My expression must've betrayed something, as his eyebrows rose even further. "Poor _sods..._ Well, aren't you are a dangerous one."

"You gonna shoot, or what? Because our resident sadist is going to bust in here pretty soon, wondering what's taking so long."

Ben was silent for a few seconds, before suddenly speaking again. "You regret it?" he asked, as he lowered his rifle.

"Huh?"

"Do you regret what you did?" he repeated. "Simple question."

I thought about it for a long moment, internally asking myself the very same thing. It hadn't been the first time I'd asked myself that. Finally, after a few seconds of consideration, I responded truthfully.

"I've been asked that question before... And I'll tell you the same thing I told them." I moved forward, making me stand directly in front of him. "I regret the innocents that got hurt in the process. Maybe there were better ways I could've done things... But I can't say I regret what happened to the ones I meant to kill. They chose their path... And I chose mine. We just bumped into each other along the way..."

* * *

"The hell took you two so long!?" Max railed on us as soon as we cleared the brush. "I heard you two chatting. What about?"

"A gentleman's discussion promotin' your lovely eyes, of course," Ben excused, as he bowed low. "They shine like jewels in the..."

"Fine, be an ass!" she growled, before striding off ahead of us.

I noticed Ben give a slight nod to the masked girl. Reika returned it, before running off to catch up to Max and pulling the Faunus along by the arm.

"Deceptively strong, that one," I mused, as Ben gave a short chuckle, before looking back to me.

"We good, Psycho?"

I put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a firm shake. "Yeah, we're good."

He grinned from the gesture. A moment later, however, he let out a loud yelp, jerking away from me as my hand sparked brightly, running a light shock down his arm.

"But _don't_ pull a gun on me again."

* * *

**_-Maxine Argus-_ **

"Stupid Humans..." I muttered darkly, glancing over my shoulder at the two behind me. I noted that the new guy was giving the white-haired fake a wide berth. "Now I'm _surrounded_ by them..."

I shot the little masked bitch a sharp glare. ' _She better know where we're going, or I swear I'll rip her apart myself.'_

She raised a hand, flashing Mr. Poncho a short hand sign, and gesturing ahead of us.

"It's just up ahead," he translated, grabbing his rifle and making for a large tree. His body glowed green as he pulled himself up the tree with his one unbandaged arm, performing a series of jumps and leaps, before landing on a thick branch. "Uh... You guys have _gotta_ see this."

He wasn't kidding. As we entered the large field, the first thing I noticed was how messed up it was. There were furrows of displaced earth all over the space, along with a line of feather-like arrows, and a...

"Is this ice?" I set my hand against an enormous half melted shard of ice, recoiling at the brutal cold.

' _Must've been some fight.'_

"Tracks are huge," Joel said, leaning down to examine one of the large holes, before moving to another. "Death Stalker, judging from the venom scoring left behind."

I could smell that he was right. Their stench was all over the place, along with...

"There were eight separate people," I said suddenly, drawing the group's attention. "Along with one Death Stalker, a Nevermore, and a dead Ursa somewhere over there." I pointed further along the treeline. I got not no response, other than the confused looks on the faces of those idiots after I spoke. I groaned with annoyance. "What? Dog Faunus, remember?" I took another long breath. "Anyway, it happened about an hour ago."

"And here I thought you were just a crazy bruiser with an axe," Poncho said, looking impressed as I gripped the handle of my axe even tighter. "Those must be the relics over there," he observed, as he pointed to a stone circle dotted with pedestals.

"Chess pieces?" I muttered, following him over to the temple. I'd heard of chess, of course, but had hardly ever played it before. Too slow, too boring for my tastes. I grabbed the closest piece, and stowed it away in the compact satchel strapped to my back, while Poncho did the same on his belt.

"There. We're done." I called back to White Head, Joel, I think his name was. He stared dumbly at me before a look of pure relief spread across his face.

' _He's hiding something, I know it...'_

He seemed alright, acting better than most Humans, anyway, which essentially meant that he hadn't tried spouting any slurs out, asked me to carry his gear, or other stupid shit like that. However, he couldn't act his way past his scent. Some things never wash out completely. They were just overshadowed in time. And no matter what this one said to the contrary, he still reeked of blood, Faunus and Human alike. Not to mention the fact that he _definitely_ did not arrive with the other First Years on the airship.

I also noticed the masked girl grip her head gingerly, eyes closed tightly. Before I could comment, the Scroll the school had given me vibrated suddenly. Pulling it out, I noticed an incoming call from... Professor Glynda Goodwitch.

' _The blonde woman who had been with the Headmaster?'_

Looking up, I noticed the others had their Scrolls out, as well. I clicked the accept button, shocked to see a miniature holographic image of the schoolmistress appear above the device, staring at me intently. The woman had been with Ozpin the day he recruited me, though I hadn't spoken to her at the time. I remembered her coming in afterwards though, towards the end bit of the Headmaster's little pitch.

_'Didn't seem the care much for my hobbies,'_ I recalled, as the woman began to speak.

_"Attention, students. Congratulations on passing the Initiation. As the other candidates have either dropped out, or were deemed unable to continue, your two pairs will be the last. We are dispatching an aircraft to your position, which should arrive shortly. Please..."_ Her face turned as someone began relaying something to her off screen. _" **...What!?** How did it... Get the Professor, right away! He **must** be informed!" _ She turned back to us, face pale and panicked.

"Uh, Teach?... Somethin' goin' on, over there?" Poncho asked nervously, glancing around at each of us. His eyes then rested on Reika as she opened her eyes wide. "Reika, what's the matter?"

_"Students, get away from that position, right **now**!"_

"Professor Goodwitch?" Joel said in confused tone, glancing at me.

I shook my head before a gust of wind rippled through the clearing from the East, as something roared in the distance, sending up whole flocks of birds. That's when I smelled it: something I'd never picked up before, but unmistakably Grimm.

_"Mister Ambrose, this is a **direct order!** Make your way out of your current position immediately! There is a juvenile **Chimera** on route!"_

"A-a _Chimera!?_ Are you serious!? Why...!?"

She ended the transmission before he could finish, the feed on her end shutting down instantly. He lowered the device slowly, taking a deep breath.

"Uh, guys?..." Poncho said, kneeling down in front of his Shadow, trying to follow the flurry of signs she was making. "She's right. Reika says somethin' big's on its way here, fast. _Really fast!_ Like, _'we won't be able to outrun it'_ fast!... The hell's a Chimera!?"

"Very rare, _very_ _vicious_ species of Grimm," the white-haired boy replied stonily. "They come in different varieties, but for the most part, they usually stick to the regions between Kingdoms. Big problem for anyone who encroaches on their territory, but they usually stick to themselves."

"Then why would this one be here?" I asked, glancing at the treeline wonderingly.

He stretched upwards, cracking his back loudly. "The Professor said it was a juvenile, so it may have just wandered from its territory. Happens occasionally if hunting gets scarce."

Wow, a great example of useless information that wouldn't help fuck all.

"She also suggested _runnin'!_ " the sniper pointed out. "We should leave while we have the chance."

"No, Reika's right. This thing's faster than us. It's hungry; probably just looking to pick off anyone else it thinks will be coming this way. But once it smells live prey, it'll be on us, picking us off while we try to get away."

"Then we fight it?" I asked, shooting him a wild grin. Whatever this Chimera thing was, it sounded goddamn awesome. "There's four of us, and one of it!"

"Wouldn't suggest it if it was an adult. Even teams of seasoned Huntsmen have trouble with those..." He drew his weapon, extending it. "...But if we hit it hard enough, though... we can probably take on one this young."

"'Probably,' huh?... So I suppose we're doin' this, then?" Poncho groaned putting a hand to his face. "Disobeyin' a direct order to retreat?"

"You got a problem with that?"

Carson said nothing for a few seconds, before sighing dramatically, and making a show of unslinging his rifle. "Nah, you kiddin'? I kill whatever this Chimera thing is, and I'll have to fight admirers off in _droves_."

Joel nodded, staring at the rifle skeptically. "Sniping isn't gonna help much, though. You'll want to keep moving."

"Not gonna be an issue," the other boy said, flipping a switch, and causing the rifle's long barrel to retract, similar to a telescope. The long green barrel had shifted to a smaller one. " _Glory_ here's adaptable to unexpected situations." A bayonet shot out from beneath the weapon, now a heavy assault rifle, as the gunner pulled a magazine from his belt sliding it home to its compartment that had opened right before the trigger with a sharp click.

"Maintain your distance, and cover Max and I as we get close." He gave Joel a lazy salute and ran off. "Reika, watch his back," he added, before turning to me. "We're gonna try to bring this thing down fast. Don't let up, and _don't_ play around."

"I get it!..." I pushed past him roughly. "Don't try and give me orders. And if you get in my way, I'll butcher you and this Grimm."

"Glad to see we're on the same page. And watch out for the tail," he muttered as he followed behind me towards the treeline.

' _Time for some fun!'_ I thought gleefully, baring my teeth tightly. ' _Wait... Tail?'_

That was when the whole world exploded in one bone-wrenching howl.

* * *

**_-Benjamin Carson-_ **

' _Aw, hell...'_ I thought to myself, gaping at the monstrosity rearing just in front of me.

I'd seen plenty of Grimm in the Badlands. From Death Stalkers, Taijitsu nests, and the stray Nevermore here and there. But this... _thing's_ presence? It scared me more than anything I'd seen before. About the size of an adult Death Stalker, the Chimera resembled a horned lion sporting a black-furred mane and razor sharp teeth, though coated in scales rather than hair. Black wings rose from its back like an overgrown crow, along with an armored snake-like tail.

_'That thing's a **kid!?** '_

The only one not seemingly paralyzed with awe was Psycho, picking himself off the ground instantly, and making a run towards Argus. He managed to scoop her up just as a clawed foot smashed down where they'd previously stood, cratering the earth with a loud crash. I snapped myself out of my stupor, before taking aim, and letting loose a quick burst that only seemed to annoy the creature.

' _They die, I die...'_ I thought, dodging away quickly as its tail lashed out towards me, firing as I ran back. ' _Need a bigger boom.'_

_"_ Why's this thing not flying!? It has wings, doesn't it!?" Argus shouted, splitting her axe into the two guns she'd had earlier, and unloading on the creature with little more success then I'd had.

"They don't start flying until they hit adolescence!" Psycho replied, swearing as he narrowly dodged a fast moving clawed hand the size of a small car. "Are you _seriously_ complaining about that, right now!?"

' _And these two were partners?'_

Speaking of partners, Reika managed to sidestep her attack and counter, landing a heavy blow with her tonfa, the mass-driven blow impacting hard on the creature's limb. Instead of breaking, however, the beast merely swatted her away like an annoying fly, sending her crashing across the field in a heap. The creature gave a roar of triumph, moving to fight off Ambrose and Argus as they tried to hit it from both sides. The tail however, was, focused on the injured girl.

" _Ooooh_ , no, ya don't!" I found myself standing over her, wincing as the snake-headed appendage clamped down on my right arm. It tried to bite down further, but to its obvious confusion, it couldn't manage it.

"What!? Don't like the taste!?" I asked it, pulling at the bandages to reveal the bronze-colored, metal prosthetic arm beneath. "Doesn't beat flesh, I know, but it still has its advantages!" I focused my Aura into the arm, ejecting a thin serrated knife from beneath the wrist. Using all of my strength, I pulled back and slashed the inside of the creature's mouth, causing both tail and body to howl in pain and fury, before it leapt away.

_'Don't mess with my partner, jackass!'_

I helped the mute girl to her feet, and retreated several yards to examine her injuries. The Huntress' arm was definitely broken, hanging limply at an odd angle. Her eyes had a pained look to them, but she said nothing as she made to retrieve her weapon.

"Nope..." I held her back with the metal hand as she struggled feebly. "You stay out of this. You've done enough for today, and that injury'll just slow you down. And you..." I waved off her rapid hand movements, lazily cringing as Argus cried out to me. "Go work on that injury. We'll finish up here." I could tell she wasn't happy about it, but she finally nodded, giving me a rough punch to the side. " _Ah!_ Yeah, I'll be fine! Those two seem pretty tough."

"Oi, Poncho! What's the hold-up!?" the Faunus shouted angrily again, sporting a bleeding scratch on her cheek and shoulder. "Sort of busy, here!"

I gave Reika a last minute grin, before running towards the Chimera, eager for some payback. I noticed the others shoot my arm a strange look, but they kept fighting, opening a space in their attack pattern.

_'Assault rifle won't cut it...'_ I thought to myself as the beast caught sight of me and lunged. I flipped the switch again, shifting the gun back into hunting rifle form, and flaring my Aura even higher. The world itself seemed to slow to a crawl as I ran forward, easily tracking the beast and fell to a quick knee at the last moment, squeezing off two shots to its face in the span of a few seconds, putting cracks in both of its horns, and skidding off as it shook its face with a pained hiss. I laughed, trying to stand on my feet, but faltering as my limbs quaked like jelly.

_'Damn, this Semblance is a pain to manage like this...'_

"How'd you manage that?" Joel, landing next to me after delivering a deep slash to Grimm's back, asked with a confused expression on his face. Thankfully, he only focused on my last action rather than my arm, which was a blessing, I suppose.

"My little party trick," I answered back, taking a quick shot that impacted the tail just as it was about to grab Miss Sadist. "Takes the sensory enhancement of Aura, and cranks it up even more, allowin' me to perceive how an enemy's gonna move in an instant. I call it _Draw,_ like how you would a pistol."

Argus laughed gleefully in the background, slicing the tail's head off in a spurt of gore while it was distracted. "How's that for watching out for the tail, bitch!? _HA!_ "

"From there, it's just a matter of pushin' my Aura to raise my reaction rate and keep up. Doin' it in bursts takes a lot outta me, though," I finished, legitimately scared of the dog-eared girl in front of me.

"...Can you do it again?" he asked me, gazing thoughtfully at the creature, his muscles tensing. "If I keep in a straight line, can you keep that thing off me long enough to get behind it?"

"...Sure, I suppose." I slipped a fresh magazine into the rifle. "Never found anythin' that Explosive Dust rounds couldn't take care of. You got a good plan?"

"'Good' might not be the best word for it. The Chimera's got scales all over its body, except for a space near the mane." He pointed forward at the thin space between it's neck and the mask. "If I can get a good hold on it, then I can bring it down. But I need you and Max to keep it from moving too much."

"If you're gonna do something, do it! _Crap!_ " Argus cried out, as she cut deeply into it's leg, before somehow moving the large axe blade to knock its fangs away when it struck from behind her. "This has gone from fun to annoying, fast!"

"Don't miss," Psycho said simply, staring me in the eyes dangerously, before making a mad dash towards the large Grimm.

I aimed down my right lens scope from my goggles as it took notice of him, lashing out with its headless tail, only to have it knocked back by one of my shots. It glared at me, ready to pounce, but a purple figure hit it from the side, catching its attention again.

_'Damn it, Murasaki! I told you to stay out of this!...'_ I groaned internally. Firing up my _Draw_ again, I sent two rounds rocketing straight to the eyes, blinding it.

The monster reared back, howling in pain as Ambrose aimed the staff at it, firing some sort of tether into the ground behind it. He ducked a wild strike from the tail, and slid underneath the Chimera itself. The cable retracted in a hail of sparks. Once he was clear, he pulled the hook free, and jumped backwards with an Aura-enhanced leap, twisting through the air, and splitting the staff into its dual form.

" _Damn,_ " I muttered as I watch him go, falling to my knees as I did do, my legs giving out from under me. "Holy..."

* * *

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

' _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. **SHIT!'**_ my mind screamed as I hurtled towards the Grimm's back, aiming for that one small patch. ' _Why do I always do this!? Dumb, stupid, crazy, reckless plans, and I keep volunteering!'_

I landed hard, air crushed out of my lungs as I jabbed the points of the blades down to miraculously pierce flesh, rather than the steel-like scales. My new ride screeched, jerking from side to side in an attempt to shake me off. Just as I was about to let go, Reika swooped down from above, slamming into it's head, and unloading a full clip into its mask, sending bits of bone and blood flying. Max, meanwhile, finally separated a limb with a loud cry of triumph. I seized my chance, pulling my last knife from my belt, and ramming it in alongside _Circuit_. With one hand on the knife's handle, and the other clutching the connecting wire for _Circuit's_ halves, I drew upon every ounce of power I had left.

"Everyone back off! _NOW!_ " I cried out, limbs sparking with raw energy. The smell of ozone permeated the air, as I amped up the voltage.

' _Dammit, this hurts!'_ my mind screamed as electricity coursed down my arms and into the beast, sending it reeling and tumbling towards the forest ruins. _' **DIE!** ' _With a final keening whine, the Chimera fell, sending me rolling off in a smoking tumble onto the grass, lying against the side of the stone structure.

"Ho... Oh my God..." I laughed in disbelief. The pain slowly subsided, leaving me feeling as if I'd just sprinted ten miles uphill with weights attached to my feet, and smoking slightly from a dozen small burns across my clothes. "That was a thing... Note to self: _NEVER AGAIN._ "

"Good luck with that," Ben remarked, as he fell back against the wall shakily. Reika was beside him, with her arm in a makeshift sling from a torn piece of her yukata. "If this school's anythin' like the rumors say, then it's only gonna get rougher from here..."

"What? You guys're tired _already?_ " Max asked incredulously as she stood over us, covered head to toe in dirt and her own blood, likely from those heavy hits from trying to strike the Grimm, which had missed and had hit the ground. She showed her canines with a menacing smirk on her face, and her axe on her shoulder. "I want another one."

"Max?..." I muttered, drifting off as the whine of a Dust engine approached from above. "Shut up..."

* * *

"Joel Ambrose. Maxine Argus. Benjamin Carson. Reika Murasaki. Step forward." Ozpin announced from his position on the stage, glancing down at each of us in turn.

The groups before us were met with applause as they were announced. However, as soon as we made our way to the stage, the applause faltered, and it was noticeable. Whispers rose up from all around us as people took in our appearance. Due to how late we'd finished the Initiation, we hadn't looked much different from how we'd looked when we'd slain the Chimera. In fact, we pretty much looked _exactly_ how we looked after we'd slain the Chimera. Ben actually seemed the most normal. Ruffled and a bit dusty, but normal. Me, on the other hand? I just looked a bit singed. My injuries were minor, but healing slower than normal due to Aura exhaustion. Reika and Maxine, however, stood out a bit. Reika wore a cast, and some of her clothing had been torn during the battle. Max, on the other hand...

"Couldn't you have at least washed your blood off?" I whispered quietly to the Faunus, knowing full well she would pick it up with those ears. "You're freaking people out."

"And I give a shit why?" she replied, staring intently at the Headmaster.

"Didn't think so," I relented, focusing my attention back on the aged Huntsman, and wiping at a spot of blood that had rubbed off from her.

"You four retrieved the white pawn pieces..." Ozpin continued as our profiles appeared on the large screen, along with a series of letters. Oddly, I wasn't surprised that Ben's picture was the only one out of our group smiling back. Everyone else kept rather neutral expressions when we had gotten our photos taken the day before, though Reika had worn her mask when she took hers. As for the letters, recalling the groups that had went before us, I knew that they were letters that were found in our names.

Ozpin went on to finish our Initiation ceremony. "From this day forth, you will work together as... Team AMBR. Led by... Joel Ambrose!"

Upon hearing those words leave his mouth, my neutral expression fell completely, instead giving one of shock. "Wait... _What!?_ "

The older man nodded at me. "Congratulations, Joel. I'm sure you'll do all of us proud."

A loud whoop rose up from the area, where the newly christened Team RWBY stood. Yang cheered alongside Ruby. I gave the sisters a friendly wave, trying to ignore the rising sense of dread with a confident smile.

' _Leading a team... Me? Is he **insane!?** ' _I glanced over at my new teammates, all of whom stared back at me in surprise.

' _Okay... A violent Faunus... A cyborg rogue... A mute killing machine with insane strength... And me, a former killer, as their acting leader... What could possibly go wrong?'_

-END

**_-CODEX-_ **

**The Badlands-** The given name for the region spanning the uncivilized landmass between Vale and Vacuo on the continent of Sanus, similar to the Frontier. While technically within Kingdom jurisdiction on both sides politically, these areas are wild, and permanent settlements are few and far between, often competing with hosts of wild Grimm and other dangers for what few resources that exist that have not already been claimed by the Schnee Dust Company. It has also attained somewhat of a reputation for banditry and other criminal activities, especially towards the networks of trains ferrying items such as food, Dust, and other supplies between the Kingdoms.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, Ben's arm was inspired by FMA, couldn't resist. Also, Max's guns look like red versions of the sub-machine guns from Halo, with the bayonets looking like the blades on the Brute Spiker.**

 


	4. FIRST DAY

**"…" – Spoken**

**' _Italics'_ \- Thought**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters, they belong to Monty Oum of Roosterteeth Productions, and those characters you see not from the show like the main character are my own OCs for the purpose of the story. Enjoy) - Mojo1586**

FIRST DAY

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

" _Kill the them all with extreme prejudice! Leave **none** alive!"_

_"Joel, they're coming! We have to go!"_

_"Filthy animals, trying to rise above their place in the world..."_

_"You promised me we'd be safe, Joel! You **promised**!"_

_"Human scum! Why can't you leave us alone!?"_

_" **DADDY!** "_

* * *

My eyes snapped open to the sound of a buzzing alarm ringing throughout the room, heart beating as I sat up with a deep calming breath. I rubbed my bleary eyes as the clock cut out with a loud crash from Max's side. Sparing a glance at the rest of my team, with the exception of Reika, who was already up and making her way from the room dressed in the uniform they'd provided us along with her mask, each swore curses as they woke up.

' _My team... **MY** team... That's gonna take some getting used to...'_

"Alright. Everyone up!" I swung my legs out and got to my feet. Ben groaned above me as he covered his head with his pillow with his good hand, the robotic arm hanging on the wall next to him on a sling, the rogue having spent a good portion of last night cleaning the thing to a dull shine after our little project.

"Hey, Psycho... You know how I suggested we make bunk beds to get some extra space, and you thought we wouldn't get enough sleep?" he muttered, voice slightly muffled.

"Yeah, I remember."

"...You were goddamn right... I hate school..."

I sighed to myself, tapping the thick ropes that held the bed together. _'I wonder why this stuff was in the closet?'_ I shrugged it off as I got up, stretching with a pop of freeing joints.

It had been a pain, but I supposed it helped getting the room set up early, so we weren't rushing to get it done now. It also didn't help that we'd all gotten called in after the team assignment for an uncomfortable hour with Goodwitch, or just "Witch," in Ben's case. She discussed our "insubordination" from fighting the Chimera after she'd told us to run away. Ozpin apparently let us off with a warning, as everyone got out okay, and because we actually succeeded in killing the thing. Still, she made it perfectly clear that we'd be in detention cleaning hallways for the rest of our time at Beacon if she heard even one rumor regarding Chimeras in the Emerald Forest.

"What's on tap for today, Boss?"

"Well, first class is Grimm Studies, with Professor..." I checked the Scroll on the bedside table as I pulled on my blazer. "Port... Sounds somewhat interesting, I suppose." I glanced up at the partitioned curtain we'd hung up in the middle of the room to give ourselves some privacy. "Max, that alarm... Didn't we use your Scroll?"

"Stupid skirt... Oh, _damn it!_ "

_'Well, I guess that answers **that** question,' _ I thought, as a long string of curses followed. ' _She's certainly... creative.'_

"I'm sure we can get a replacement. Doesn't matter, anyway. We're all in the same class to start with, with the exception of Reika." I mentioned reassuringly, straightening out the tie with only a fair bit of difficulty. You'd think for a Huntsman Academy, the uniforms would offer a bit more comfort. "It's at nine, so we still have a bit of time. I'm grabbing a quick breakfast."

" _Shove it, Ambrose!_ " A hand shot through the curtain, flipping me off succinctly.

"Sure thing, Boss," Ben confirmed, shooting me a mock salute as I reached the door, trying to sneak a peek over the curtain, only to jump back as a book embedded itself in the ceiling above him. I could've sworn that the impact sent cracks rippling through the ceiling.

' _My team, everyone...'_ I groaned inwardly, cursing Ozpin as I scratched at the skin near the collar, making a note to put in a work order to fix that.

* * *

After grabbing a slice of toast and eggs, I sat outside on one of the benches leading to the mess hall, and stared out at the garden. The campus definitely had its perks.

"Definitely a step up from bars and concrete..." I muttered, taking a deep breath whilst savoring the warm meal. "Hmm... Food's better, too." Anything was better then gruel served through a thin slit along the floor.

"Enjoying the view?"

I jumped from my spot, startled from the new voice. Looking up, I found Ozpin standing next to me, working on a steaming mug in one hand, and his cane in the other. ' _How did he... Ugh, never mind.'_

"Being locked up in a small cell for a few months does give you an appreciation for the fresh air," I replied, shrugging lazily as I took another bite of my toast. "Actually, considering what I was doing for the past few years, this does make for a nice change of pace. It's more peaceful."

"I'm glad you approve. It's always nice to hear that students are happy and content."

"'Content' might be too strong a word," I laughed glancing at my Scroll. "That team you put me in charge of can be a bit... difficult."

"Your group, admittedly, does have quite a few interesting figures. I'm really quite surprised by how things turned out. Your partner in particular," he nodded, shooting me an apologetic smile.

"Oh, you mean the Faunus girl? Yeah, I see the irony in that, Professor. I do. A Faunus girl who likes to play with her food before she eats it. Yep, I noticed that little tidbit."

"I'll admit, Miss Argus can be a bit of a handful... But you are hardly in any position to talk about violent tendencies. I _did_ have access to your estimated body count, after all. She at least keeps it to the Grimm, for the most part."

"Alright! Point taken..." I interjected in annoyance, shaking my head as I stood up. "Pretty sure she still wants to rip my head off, though. For some reason, or another."

"Maxine is a talented girl with a powerful gift. She has, however, led a difficult and troubled life..." He cocked an eyebrow, suddenly, staring into the contents of his drink for a moment, before continuing. "I thought you two could relate to each other."

"She probably burned ants as a kid, and I killed her people for a less than noble cause. Yep, we're practically best friends, already," I laughed sarcastically. "But back to the point I was making. Bastion didn't exactly teach me team building exercises. Neither did the Red Hand."

"Be that as it may, I'm sure you can learn to accept and grow into your new role, given time. Of that, I have no doubt."

"Hmph. I think you're giving me too much credit, Professor," I grunted, throwing away the paper plate that I ate my food with into the trash bin next to the bench, before walking off toward class.

"On that point, however... Do they know?" he asked as I turned to leave. "Have you told them about your prior occupation?"

Sighing, I turned back to him. "Carson knows a little. And I'm pretty sure he's told Murasaki, by now. I doubt they'll fill in anyone else, though. As for Max... I'd rather wait before dealing with that hurdle." I shivered slightly at the thought. "Obvious reasons aside, I doubt she'll react well to me being a Trapper on principle."

"It will get out, you know. Sooner or later," the old Huntsman pointed out. "There are those here who will reveal it, even if you don't. And they might not know the exact circumstances as we do."

As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point. My trial was on the news when it happened. Not a huge spectacle, sure, but still big enough to grab someone's attention. And there had to be others who knew what this collar meant, like Ben, or others who I'd met before...

_'Weiss for example.'_

"I'll deal with it when I need to, okay? It was nice talking to you, Professor, but I'm gonna be late for class," I said, hurrying off towards the nearest building with my Scroll as a guide.

* * *

"Thought we weren't supposed to be late, oh great leader?" Ben quipped, grinning as I sat down next to him. I was panting slightly, as I had gotten more troubled as time began to wind down. Fortunately, I made it in just as the class began, dodging past an irritable Argus along the way, who had her head flat on the desk growling.

"Wasn't _that_ late. Got held up by someone," I hissed back, trying to ignore how lost I'd gotten along the way as I took in the classroom.

It was a big room, with diagrams and anatomy charts of various Grimm spaced along the front, where an older, large man stood. He had a large, impressive gut, a burgundy suit with gold buttons and pipings, grey hair combed to both sides, and an impressive mustache. This was Professor Port, most likely, and he was speaking... monologuing?

"Doesn't look like I missed much, anyway," I indicated a few other sleeping students.

"Oh, but you'll _never_ get a first-hand account about how the guy took on a pack of Beowolves, with nothin' more than an old pickaxe and a cabbage, no less. Or the _chillin'_ recollection of how he trapped a great beast for months beneath his own house. What a tragic loss..." the rogue sighed sarcastically.

Port definitely looked caught up in his own story. I was silently grateful for that. Otherwise, he might've put me on the spot for being late.

"Anyway..." Ben continued, as he pointed down to the first row with his gloved right hand. At the end, I saw the whole of Team RWBY sitting hunched over in various states of awareness. "You know those girls, right? The blonde and the redhead were cheerin' for ya at the ceremony."

' _Huh. So **that's** where Weiss ended up. Heh, guess her whole Pyrrha Nikos strategy didn't go as planned. Can't believe those four actually got together, though...'_

"Yeah, I met them during the first day. Your point?"

"Well, accordin' to rumor, _they're_ the ones that ripped up the area around the temple and killed those Grimm. Along with one Team JNPR."

"Really?... No shit?"

"That's not all. Apparently, Miss Schnee's gonna fight a Grimm for us today, and show us all what a 'true Huntress-in-training' is capable of."

I raised an eyebrow at both his words and Weiss herself as stood up and left the room. Port, meanwhile, dragged out a shaking cage perched atop his desk, chained shut with heavy chains and a thick lock.

"Hope she's not all wealth and no skill," Ben muttered, chin rested on his normal hand. "Blue blood tends to stain just as badly as ours does."

"Wait... We actually fight Grimm in this class? I thought this was supposed to be theory only?"

I wasn't too worried about Weiss. I'd sat through more than enough combat lessons during my short tenure as her bodyguard to know she could handle herself in a fight.

' _Still, to release a live Grimm in class? This teacher's either really confident, or a complete idiot.'_

"You're seriously complaining?" the tired Faunus sat up, as Weiss reentered the room dressed in full combat gear, sword in hand. "This is the best part! Either we get to see Miss Schnee Dust Heiress get ripped apart, or watch her do that to a Grimm. Sounds like a good show to me."

I shot her a dark look as Port shattered the lock with a large blunderbuss battle axe, releasing a squealing Boarbatusk on the heiress.

"...Hey, she's got some moves," Ben commented with appraisal after the first few seconds, tracing her weaving figure across the room eyes flashing slightly.

Weiss was doing remarkably well, actually. She easily dodged the Grimm's wild charging, though she seemed pretty agitated. Looking more closely, I saw that she was arguing with Ruby, though I couldn't make out the specifics over the cries of the Grimm.

"Hey, Max," I whispered, getting the Faunus' attention. "What's she saying?"

"I dunno. Something about 'not telling her what to do,'" Max replied in an annoyed grunt, eyes firmly fixed on the fight. "Damn. Wish _I'd_ volunteered."

"Then don't sleep in class next time, Argus."

"Shut it, Carson!" she snapped, eyes narrowing at him dangerously. He leaned forward with a grin, hand twitching at his side in anticipation, as she began to glow red with Aura.

"Why don't you make me!?"

I pushed them apart before the fighting started, shooting each of them a sharp glare and gesturing towards the teacher. Just in time, too, as Weiss had finished off the Grimm with a strike to its stomach.

" _BRAVO! BRAVO!_ " Port announced, as Weiss got shakily to her feet. "It appears we are, indeed, in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training! I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Now, don't forget to read..."

" _What!?_ That was way too short! Girl needs to learn to draw things out..." Max whined, getting to her feet as I copied down the assigned readings for the lesson.

' _This is it? I learned about this stuff ages ago...'_ I thought as I skimmed through the book. ' _Well, at least homework shouldn't be too hard for a while... They go **way** too easy on education around here.' _ Aegis had had me able to I.D. a variety of Grimm and their weak spots in the first two weeks. Then came tracking...

"Hey, look. Trouble in paradise," Max giggled, pointing down as Weiss stormed from the room, whilst a panicked Ruby running after her. "Wonder what's eating her?"

"Probably not used to taking orders, I expect..." I shrugged, shooting her a sharp glare as we left the room, the sound of shouting ringing out from further down the hallway. "...Anyway, you guys go on ahead."

"What? Forget something? You were there for like ten minutes!" Max questioned.

"No. Just concerned," I replied, walking back towards the source of the shouting. "Save me some food, would you?"

"Can't promise there'll be any food left by the time you get there, Ambrose." I groaned at her cackling echoing down the opposite hall.

My partner, everyone...

* * *

"Hey, Ruby, I heard shouting. Everything alright?" I asked the small hooded girl as I rounded the corner, catching her by surprise.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, hey, Joel!" she replied cheerily, turning to face me with a smile on her face, which I noticed was a little too forced for her own good. "How're you doing? Fun class, wasn't it?"

"What? Oh... Yeah... Yeah, sure," I answered in a confused tone, looking around the corridor. I caught sight of a flash of white hair rounding the corner, "Weiss just seemed a bit off when she left class..."

"Oh... _That..._ " Her face fell slightly, as she glanced down at her feet sadly. "...Weiss is angry with me for fooling around in class, and not taking things seriously..." She stared out at the veranda, where Weiss stood staring at the sunset.

"Were you fooling around?"

"Just a few silly drawings!" she cried out defensively, raising her head up to look at me.

' _She really is young...'_ I thought absently, as she stared up at me. _'Probably about as old as I was, when...'_ I clamped down on that train of thought immediately, the tick going unnoticed by the little reaper.

"Anyway, she got mad and stormed off. I just was trying to have a bit of fun. It's just that... Well... She doesn't think that I'm leader material... She..."

"She wasn't having it," I finished, giving her a small grin. "She doesn't seem like the 'play around' type, does she?... You talk with Ozpin about it?"

"Yeah. He walked up after Weiss stormed off." She glanced down the hall where the Professor had retreated.

"What did he tell you?" I asked, frowning at the girl's expression. "Seems serious."

"He was talking about team stuff. About how being a leader isn't just a title, but something you wear constantly." Her face knotted as she scratched at her hair madly. "It was really serious, but I don't know if I get it!" She glanced up at me, eyes shimmering wetly. "Joel... Do you think I could be a good leader?"

"Ruby..."

"Professor Ozpin says he didn't make a mistake making me leader. But I don't know... Maybe he's lying... What if I screw up? What if Weiss is right!? What if..."

I suddenly, almost unconsciously, found myself ruffling her hair, laughing to myself as I did so. I hadn't even realized that I had stopped her freak out midstride. A short moment later, I realized she glancing at me with a confused look on her face.

I instantly frowned upon realizing what I was doing, and pulled my hand away quickly as soon as I could, feeling a warm tinge across my apologetic face.

"Uh... Joel?"

"Sorry about that..." I apologized awkwardly. "It's just... You reminded me of my little brother, right now. I used to ruffle his hair when we were kids whenever he'd be freaking out about something." When he was still small enough for me to manage it.

"...Yang did that when we were younger, too..." she admitted quietly, smoothing out her red tinged locks. "I guess it's just some sort of older sibling thing."

"Maybe it is," I agreed soundly.

"But... What if I...?"

"Ruby, there's a million 'what ifs,' right now. It's the _first day!_ " I said, trying to reassure her. "You can't exactly blame yourself if things don't start off well. That's why we're here in the first place; to learn how to do this stuff. Ozpin said something like that too, right?"

"He said I needed to act more like a leader. To be at my best always, so people will want to follow me, or something like that. It sounds really hard..." she murmured to the ground, before turning to face me. "What do you think? You're a leader too, right?"

"Well, to be honest, he's probably right, though I might not be the best person to get leadership advice from, anyway. My training was more aimed at personal situations, rather than team ones." I scratched the back of my head, thinking back on how things had gone since Team AMBR had been formed. "You do realize Team AMBR consists of a guy who habitually calls me 'Psycho,' an antisocial mute, and... well... You've met my partner, right? Maxine Argus? Dog Faunus with an attitude problem?"

"No, not yet."

"Well don't. You're a sweet girl, and she might yell at you for being a tiny human... Or eat you, for all I know. Hell... Maybe both. She seems complicated like that." I sighed at the nervous look she shot me. Probably went a little too far with that joke. "Look, that doesn't matter... From what I've heard, you've already led your team to victory once during the Initiation. The potential's there. You just... have to see it for yourself. And I'm sure Weiss will, too, if you just give her time, and work hard like Ozpin said," I encouraged, motioning towards the heiress.

She stayed silent for a moment, before nodding to herself and giving me a large smile. "Thanks, Joel. I needed someone else to talk to about this."

"No problem. Glad I could help."

I turned away, ready for some lunch, before Ruby called out to me.

"Hey, Joel!"

"Yeah?" I glanced over my shoulder back at her.

_'Jake would be about her age, right now... It's been so long since I've seen him.'_ The last time I'd been anywhere near my brother had been at my trial. Understandably, we hadn't spoken since.

"You're a great leader, too! Remember, 'don't give up,' right?" she encouraged, giving me a thumbs up and a wink.

"Definitely!" I returned the wink, giving her a thumbs up of my own.

I then looked towards the Weiss one last time. I gazed at the heiress for a few seconds, before striding off.

_'Now I just have to think of a way to pull it off...'_

"Rubes!? Ruby, where'd you go!?" I blinked to myself as I heard a voice behind me. Twisting around, I saw Ruby's sister Yang walking down the hallway I was walking down from. From the corner of her eyes, she turned to look at me, before grinning. "Hey, Joel!"

"Hey, Yang. What's up?" I greeted as she ran over towards me, making me take a step back slightly.

"Hey, have you seen Ruby? She and Weiss ran off after class!" she cried when she reached me. "I can't find them anywhere."

I nodded with a small smile, holding my hand out to calm her. "It's okay. I just saw them right now. They're just cooling off, I think... At least Weiss is."

She frowned at that. "Cooling down? Why? Did they have a fight?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I guess Ruby was messing around a bit, and it rubbed Schnee the wrong way. I already talked to Ruby about it, but she went somewhere else afterwards."

"Any chance you know where?"

"Nope," I answered, shaking my head. "Maybe she went to the mess hall?"

"What!? Without _me!?_ " she cried, genuinely shocked about it, though it seemed more humorous than she intended.

"Growing up too fast for you, huh?" I chuckled, before looking more concerned. "Still, maybe you should give her some space for right now. She's got a lot on her mind after today."

The blonde girl nodded after a moment, shrugging resignedly. "Yeah, you're right... I hope they can find a way to work together."

"Me too, Yang... Me too..."

A short moment later, her frown then did a total one-eighty. "Anyway, thanks for letting me know!"

"No problem."

"So, where were you headed? Class?"

I shrugged. "Well, I _was_ gonna get some lunch... But then you stopped me."

She gasped loudly, giving me an apologetic look. "Oops. My bad..."

I shook my head. "It's fine. There's probably still time to get food."

"Sweet!" she grinned. "Hey, mind if I walk with you to the mess?"

"Not at all. Be my guest," I assured as I gestured towards the direction I was walking to previously.

"Thanks! Alright, let's go get us some grub!" She then patted me in the back, before cringing at how the force of her pat made me stumble forward a bit. "Whoops... Sorry."

"It's fine," I told, coughing and chuckling from her hit. "You've got quite an arm there."

"Thanks. I work out," she explained as she lifted her right arm to flex smugly.

"I can see that," I grinned as we began walking. "So, obvious troubles aside, how's your guys' team holding up?"

She shrugged. "I mean, Ruby and my partner Blake are okay. Weiss is the only one who seems to have an issue with how our team ended up."

"Yeah, I saw that Blake ended up on your team. And she's your partner? How's that going?"

"Surprisingly, she's actually pretty cool," she revealed. "She's actually very helpful in our team."

"Yeah. I saw the flag she was waving during Weiss' demonstration. That's good."

"What about your team?" she asked. "Judging by the way you guys looked after Initiation, you guys must have one interesting story to tell."

I scoffed. "Sorry, but Goodwitch told us that we'd get detention for the rest of our time in Beacon if we went bragging about what we did."

She pouted at that. "Awww... Sounds like fun, too."

"Doubt you'd think so if you did know..." I frowned, before looking back. "Most of my team's pretty okay with me leading... except maybe my own partner, though she doesn't really display it like Weiss does... By the way, I heard you guys had a big brawl of your own. A Death Stalker and a Nevermore at the same time... That's pretty impressive."

She grinned at that. "Yep! It was a team effort, though. I don't know how it would've gone if JNPR hadn't been there..." Yang then gasped before turning to me excitedly. "Hey, you haven't met JNPR, have you?"

"Can't say I have."

"Maybe I can introduce you to them when we get to the mess!" she offered excitedly.

"Sure. Can't hurt."

"Cool!" she grinned. She then looked around, frowning at the hall. "I wonder if the gym's around here, too?"

"Looking to catch up on your workout routine?" I quipped.

"Yep. These guns don't maintain themselves!"

I nodded approvingly. "Cool. Kinda curious to know where it's at, myself. I need to keep myself in shape."

"Hey, maybe we can spar there one time?" she offered, slamming her hands together in excitedly. "I'd like to see what you got."

At that, my eyebrows furrowed. "They let you guys do that here?..."

She frowned in confusion. "Uh, duh. Don't see why not. We fight Grimm in classes, after all."

"True..." I admitted, as I put my hand to my chin. The gears in my head began turning, as an idea slowly formed in my head. "Yang... I think I"m gonna take a rain check on that sparring sesh... Got something I gotta do first..."

* * *

"Alright, Ambrose..." Max began as she glared down at me from the fighting stage we'd set up in the gym. "Want to explain why we're in the gym in the middle of the night, while Poncho and the short bitch get to take it easy back in the room?"

"Well, Max, there's a good reason for that..." I replied, happily leaping up to join her, unsheathing my weapon and giving it a quick once over. "I can talk with Reika and Ben. You, on the other hand, seem to prefer a more direct approach. So I'm obliging." I positioned myself at the other end of the stage rolling my arms. "Since we've met, we've been... less than friendly, to say the least. However, now that we're on a team, and have to work together to succeed here, I want to get past our issues, or at least compromise."

I finished rolling my arms, and finally cracked my neck. I then stared directly at my partner's eyes. "So... am I right in assuming that you have some sort of problem with me?..."

She quirked an eyebrow, before letting out a short chuckle, hefting her axe onto her shoulder with a grimace. "You're right..." she admitted, as she tapped her nose gingerly. "I've known you two days, and all you've done is make yourself out like some noble hero. Trying to save the day, making plans, and being in charge... But I smell blood on you. Faunus, Human, and Grimm."

"And that worries you?" I frowned, extending _Circuit_ into staff form, but opting to keep the blades sheathed. "I thought you would have liked the smell."

"Intrigues me, more like... I know that weird collar has something to do with it. Has that Goodbitch's stink all over it." She shrugged lazily. "I won't pry, though. Don't need your life story."

"Good, because you won't get one. It's long, and very personal." I switched on the large screen above us showing me a readout of both our Aura levels. Goodwitch had been hesitant to show me how to use it, but she'd caved in after Ozpin had given her the go-ahead. "Suffice to say, I do have a past. A violent one, but now I'm trying to do some good... What about you?" I asked suddenly, catching her off guard. "I'm certain you have a reason for why you don't like Humans."

"I never said I didn't like Humans. I told you, I just don't like it when someone - _anyone_ \- tries to put themselves above me. Just happens that most of the people who do that are Humans," she revealed, before adding. "You don't need my life story, either."

"That another reason you don't like me? Because I'm trying to be a good leader?"

"It's not like I won't accept you being in charge... You just have to prove you're worth taking orders from." She then grinned, bringing her axe to bare.

' _Somehow, I don't think Ruby is having this much trouble with Weiss...'_ I thought as a bemused expression crossed my face while I assumed a fighting stance. Arcs of electricity sizzled at my fingertips as my Aura flared.

"I have a policy against working with worthless people," she admitted, barring her teeth menacingly.

"Well, come on, then! If this is what you want. Til one of our Auras is in the red, got it?"

"If you're not dead by then!"

She was in the air within seconds, shimmering with carmine-colored Aura, axe blade hurtling down towards me. I sidestepped as she came down next to me, bringing my staff around to smack her on the back, giving her a quick shock for good measure as it bounced off her barrier. That sent her stumbling forward awkwardly, her Aura dipping slightly.

" _Ah!_ You big...!"

"Temper, temper!" I chided, spinning my staff in one hand. "If I'd actually had blades out, or amped up the charge, you'd be in a lot more trouble, right n...!"

I leapt back, narrowly avoiding the axe that she swung. She continued her assault, swinging her weapon around with a snarl of fury, and reckless abandon.

' _How did she...?'_ I thought wildly, as she launched into a flurry of heavy swings that I was barely able to knock away, each misstep taking a good chunk off my counter.

She was somehow able to manipulate that axe from impossible positions, countering my attacks and then launching her own. It was almost as if momentum and gravity didn't affect her. My patience proved useful, however, as she finally made a mistake. She overextending her blow just far enough in for me to gain room and disarm her, rearing back as I put all my strength into a two-handed swing towards her chest. Her eyes widened in surprise as the blow was just about to connect, and... _didn't!?_

I gaped, as some unseen force caught hold of my weapon, stopping it cold just as it was about to touch her.

"The hell!?" I growled, trying and failing to pull it away, as if some gigantic hand kept it held there.

"Gotcha..." Max hissed, grinning wildly. Her eyes shone brightly with energy as I was suddenly blasted back through the air. It felt as if a car had smacked into me. Rolling to my feet shakily at the other end of the arena, I tried to stand up.

' _What... What the hell did she hit me with!?'_

My mind was racing when something hit me again, blasting me into the air. Twisting around, I extended one of _Circuit's_ bladed prongs quickly, firing it off towards the ground as I felt myself being carried higher and higher. Max just stood there staring up at me, until she fell to her knees, the strange glow leaving her eyes. I found myself falling quickly towards the ground again at a rate too quick for me to reorient myself, also losing my grip on my weapon. I cringed, ready to impact, when the strange force caught me again, just a foot off the ground.

" _Holy..._ " I began, before I falling-face first onto the hard floor with a thud.

Getting up gingerly I saw Max breathing heavily, arm outstretched towards me. "Max... What the hell?" I choked out, checking myself over to make sure I was still in one piece.

"There's a reason Ozpin fought so hard to get me here..." she replied, voice hoarse as her weapon sailed back into her hand slowly. "My Semblance... It lets me manipulate the space around me, block attacks, and swing my weapon around as if it were weightless... Packs quite a punch... But..." She paused, swaying dangerously to the side, before falling forward.

"Max? _MAX!_ " I cried in alarm.

Without hesitating, I ran forward, sliding in just in time to catch her before she hit the ground. I checked her pulse immediately, years of training taking the drivers seat as I examined the girl. She was unconscious, but still breathing, albeit slowly. I glanced up at the large screen hanging above us, and saw that my Aura was a good way into the yellow. Hers, on the other hand, was almost entirely depleted. I breathed a sigh of relief, before picking her up bridal style. I was pretty surprised at how light she was. Aura exhaustion was rough, but it was hardly life-threatening. She'd wake up in a few hours with a headache and a sore everything, but she'd be fine.

"Idiot..." I muttered, glancing down at the sleeping Faunus in my arms. The dog ears on her head twitched with each breath she took.

_'She's actually kind of cute when she's like this, and not covered in blood at all...'_ I thought absently, before turning bright scarlet, and immediately banishing the offending thought from my head. ' _She'll also rip you apart without even touching you!'_ I reminded myself with a grimace, staring at the large axe on the ground next to me.

Her Semblance was incredible. I'd been practically helpless against her. However, like Ben's, it certainly seemed to have its drawbacks if used excessively.

I set her down on one of the benches lining the arena, before moving to retrieve both weapons.

"Damn, this is heavy..." I grunted, hefting the large axe in one hand. "How the hell does she do it? Semblance or not, this thing's a brick!"

I used her Scroll to open up her locker, setting the weapon inside, when an old picture affixed to the door caught my eye. It showed a younger Max smiling next to a Human girl with long dark hair, and blue colored eyes, along with a larger man that must've been Max's dad, judging by the ears they shared. They were all sitting on a couch in a small living room. I quashed the impulse to examine it further, shutting the locker quickly, and pushing the picture out of mind. It was obviously something personal, if she'd hung onto it this long, and it wasn't my place to intrude. Making my way back to the Faunus, I sat down next to her, and put on my earbuds. Resigning myself to a long night, I passed the time working on memorizing the layout of the school to the beat of my music.

* * *

Finally, after a long while, I felt her stirring next to me. The Canine Faunus finally opened her eyes with an annoyed grunt. "What...? Ah, my _head!_ "

"Sleep tight?" I asked, switching off my music with a sigh and turning to look down at her. The Faunus let out a yelp, falling off of the bench in her haste to get up. "Careful! I wouldn't move around too much."

"Ugh... What time is it?" she groaned, clutching her skull tightly.

"About four in the morning."

"I've been out for...?"

"About six hours, yeah." I yawned, stretching as I got to my feet, wincing as pins and needles shot through my legs from disuse. "You seem good to move now, so let's head back. Don't want to give the others any weird ideas. Not sure we're supposed to even be out this late."

I held out a hand to help her up.

"Why didn't you just leave me, if you we're so tired?" she spat out, smacking the hand away and standing up shakily. "It wouldn't be the first time I passed out like that. Probably won't be the last, either."

"You might be a pain in the ass..." I started, smirking at the look of indignation crossing her face. "But you're still my partner and my teammate. I'm not gonna just leave you on a bench alone, and hope you're okay."

"Still... You don't have to..." she muttered under her breath, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Yeah, I didn't have to. And I don't want to, either. I happen to like my sleep," I shot back grumpily, putting my Scroll back in my pocket and turning to her. "So don't pull a stunt like this again, okay? Besides..." I added as a friendly smile grew on my face. "That fight was _totally_ my win," I finished with a wink as I walked with her out of the gym.

"What the...! Why _youuu..._ I had you, and you know it! I want a rematch!" she cried out angrily, before grimacing as she clutching her head in renewed pain.

" _Later,_ " I promised, laughing as we stepped out into the hallway. The first flecks of sunlight streamed through the large windows to our side. "For now, let's just agree that I get to be leader. I've already got to deal with no sleep today." I shielded my eyes, knowing that Port's class today was probably going to be a sleep period, anyway.

"I'll crush you, next time," the Faunus said through gritted teeth, as she pushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face. "No doubt."

"Anytime, Max. Anytime..." The thought was actually pretty exciting to consider, as well as figuring out how I'd overcome that Semblance.

We finally made it to our dorm, dodging teachers as we passed through, including one frightening and very awkward moment where we had to squeeze into a small shadowed alcove together, faces dangerously close, as Professor Goodwitch passed by, focused intently on her Scroll.

"Wait..." she blurted out, grabbing hold of my shoulder as I made to turn the handle.

" _Maaax,_ it's really early, and I'm gonna pass out, here..." I moaned

"Thanks..." she said simply, staring at me intently for a brief moment, before forcing her way past me into the room loudly, as I stood there in genuine surprise.

" _WAH!_ " Ben's voice called out groggily from inside, having been awoken due to the Dog Faunus having slammed the door open in her haste to clear the threshold. "What the... Wha...? D-do you know what time it is!?... Where've you two been!?"

" _Shut it, asshole!_ " she spat back with pure venom in her voice, eliciting an "eep" from the sharpshooter. Pushing her way past the heavy curtain, I could slightly hear the sound of clothes hitting to the ground coming from her direction, before I heard her fall into her bed with a loud crash.

"What the hell'd you two get up to?" Ben asked, turning to look at me as I made my way to the bed. Not even bothering to change, I sighed in ecstasy as my body hit the soft mattress.

"Working out our issues," I replied lazily, as sleep slowly took me, sadly aware that it wasn't going to last. "I think we might be good... For the moment, anyway."

I had enjoyed a good minute of silence, before Carson spoke again. "She tried to kill ya, didn't she?" I didn't respond, so he took my silence as a yes. He then covered his head in his pillow and muttered to himself. "Crazy idiots... Bustin' in here in the middle of the night... What the hell... And _he's_ the leader? What a crock of..."

I just laid there, feeling actually somewhat content. More so than I'd been in years. ' _Y'know... maybe this won't be so bad, after all...'_

Sighing to myself, I quietly whispered a vow. "I'm _not_ going to screw this up."

**- _END_**


	5. Old Wound

**"…" – Spoken**

**' _Italics'_ \- Thought**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters, they belong to Monty Oum of Roosterteeth Productions, and those characters you see not from the show like the main character are my own OCs for the purpose of the story. Enjoy) - Mojo1586**

OLD WOUNDS

**_-Reika Murasaki-_ **

"Hey, Ambrose, what's the average diameter of a Boarbatusk, and do they travel in packs?" Maxine asked our leader, frantically scribbling down the answers to today's assignment with one hand, while shoveling bacon, sausage, and eggs in her mouth with the other. "Like, seriously. Right now. Chop chop."

"What makes you think I know?" he shot back, an annoyed expression crossing his face, as he spilled hot sauce all over his eggs. "Stupid... Anyway, you'd know if you'd actually pay any attention in class... or do the readings, at least."

"But that's _sooo boring..._ " she moaned, planting her head on her hands, and glowering at the tall Huntsman. "Port's always going on and on about something or another that we'll never use in an actual fight. It's practically a crime that his lecture's this early. Besides..." She grinned widely, gesturing at him with her fork, "why should I bother paying attention, when my leader practically knows everything, already?"

"Doesn't mean have to like it..." Joel sighed, grabbing her paper from her to look it over. "They travel in _herds,_ by the way. Not packs; those are Beowolves."

"See? And _that's_ why I don't need to give a fuck," the Dog Faunus stated happily, digging into her meal full force now. "Mmph... Least until the fun bits start."

"It's also why I hate the fact that we're graded on overall team performance," Joel grumbled under his breath, as he scratched out a few lines of her work. "Stupid leader role... Ozpin can go suck a..."

I turned as laughter emanated from down the table. There, Carson entertained his latest target on his lap, a pretty blue-haired one with hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. This time, he was showing off his mechanical arm, while she "oohed" and "ahhed" in amazement. He twirled a knife in his robotic hand.

"How do you have so much mobility?" she asked, watching as the knife sailed between the metallic fingers. "It's almost like a real arm! I've never seen anything like it."

"It's a test model," Ben explained, balancing the point of the utensil on one finger, earning applause from the girl. "Uses a blend of both Dust and Aura to create a link between myself and the arm. I hardly even notice the difference, anymore."

' _Liar...'_

He shot her a toothy grin, sending a blush spreading on across her cheeks. "You know, the mobility isn't just for playin' with knives. There's other more... _entertainin'_ uses that I can think of."

' _Great...'_ I sighed internally. _'Judging from the look on her face, our room's going to be off-limits for a few hours, again.'_

I didn't even know why I still came to meals with them, as I never ate in front of them. It had just become something of a routine during the first few weeks here at Beacon. Eat breakfast while the leader and the Faunus argued about homework, practice, or anything, really. Meanwhile, Carson would pull stunts like this with his latest female "friend," or needle the other two members of our team with jokes or taunts.

Maybe it all sprung from my desire to learn more about my companions. I could read their Aura well enough to get an idea, but that only went so far. And without the ability to ask or talk, that meant I had to watch and take what I could.

Joel Ambrose, our new leader... Much about the man was uncertain. He usually chose to spend the time outside of classes making friends with other team's members; something he did very easily. He was humorous, sarcastic, professional, intelligent, and kind. Though how much of it was a facade; a cover?

The collar around his neck showed that there was a great deal more to him than just how he acted. It wasn't as if criminal activities were abhorrent to me, though. I'd committed my fair share during my time spent in the gang while working for Ben's father. But if my partner was to be believed, Ambrose's past may have been much darker, filled with violence and murder; a line Carson's gang never crossed. The nightmares he seemed to have most nights were telling, though they weren't the only mark on him. Slight glimpses of his body during training, and in the morning while he changed, revealed a web of scars laced across his body that he tried very hard to keep hidden. Burns, slashes, surgical marks, stab wounds, and what even looked like a bullet hole or two mapped out his upper body, and traveled a fair bit further. No, there was something more, indeed.

His partner, however, was much more open; practically the opposite. My new bunkmate, Maxine Argus, could be described as very... _open_ with her emotions, anger and joy the most prominent. Considering how she acted most of the time, I was genuinely surprised to learn she was actually, in terms of legality anyway, the most innocent of us, having lived for the most part well within the rules of society. Her "appetites," however, showed during training and her favorite class. Hand-to-hand combat was her chance to blow off steam, pushing a little too hard just below the point of causing serious injury, and toying around with her opponents.

It had even gotten to the point where most students, even the larger ones who'd wanted to teach the uppity Faunus bitch a lesson, at first, avoided her like the plague, and dreaded being assigned to fight her. Strangely enough, she didn't seem to hate or dislike Humans, as many Faunus I'd met in the past had done. If anything, she cared little. She was always honest with how she felt. If she didn't like something, she would let everyone know. In a way, I admired her for that openness.

"There..." Ambrose said, pushing the paper and pen back towards his partner. "That should get at least okay marks. Had to keep it at least _somewhat_ convincing that you wrote it."

"Thank you," she giggled, plucking up the paper, giving it a quick once over before stuffing it into the pocket of her blazer in a crumpled ball. "Well, I've gotta get to Peach's class. And then some good ol' R-n-R, for the weekend." She stood up to leave.

"Where do you go, if you don't mind me asking?" our leader asked, staring at her back. "You've always been on the first airship out to Vale after class every weekend since classes started. And you don't come back until class the next Monday. You got a job, or something?"

"I actually do mind you asking, Ambrose. So _back off!_ " the Faunus shot back tersely, not bothering to turn around as she strode from the mess hall out into the garden.

"Hostile! Better luck next time, Psycho!" Carson called out.

"Yeah... Great," Joel groaned, pushing his plate away as he shook his head. "So I guess that leaves you two for practice, tonight?"

"Sorry, Boss. Me and Alice...!"

"My name's _Diana!_ " the girl snapped, slapping him on his good arm, staring him down angrily.

"Sorry. Me and the lovely, beautiful _Diana_ have a study session planned later back in the room. Very private tutorin' goin' on, and what not. You understand." He smiled widely, all thoughts of the mistake with the name seemingly flying from the other girl's mind. "Gonna have to miss it."

Joel sighed heavily. "Fine, whatever... Just please don't 'study' on my bed again. I can't keep burning my sheets, or else Goodwitch's gonna notice."

"Can do, Boss!" the sharpshooter gave him a quick salute, before running off with a giggling Diana in tow.

_'Well, it seems Beacon hasn't changed him much...'_

I stared at them as they walked off, before a loud thump across from me drew my attention. Looking back, I saw that Ambrose had slammed his head into the table, groaning to himself.

"Rrgh... Seems my day plans have cleared up," he grumbled, voice muffled by the table.

"..." I flashed him a few apologetic hand signs. Unlike Max, Joel was making the attempt to learn my hand talk. He had managed to pick up a bit, at least, though not enough to hold a real conversation beyond yes or no just yet. But the thought wasn't lost on me.

"It's not your fault he's an ass," he waved me off. "Welp, it's not all bad..." He sat up, scratching at his forehead as he looked at me. "You're still attending that workshop with Goodwitch, right? Aura management?"

I nodded questioningly, eyebrows dipping inquisitively. Before coming to Beacon, I'd been told I'd be outside of regular classes in favor of workshop/therapy sessions with Professor Goodwitch. The therapy went nowhere, really, so lately she'd spent the time teaching me how to read and write, skills I'd never really bothered with before.

" _I still can't believe, with your condition, that you'd never been taught! What were those ruffians in Bill Carson's group doing!?"_ the Professor had said when it first came to light, sounding almost appalled.

I was doing pretty well, now, having mastered the basic alphabet. I still struggled somewhat with the writing portion, however.

"Well, I was wondering if, after you've finished for the day, you wanted to meet my friends on RWBY and JNPR for lunch?"

My head snapped up, staring at him intently, which seemed to surprise him.

"Uh... I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to..." he said nervously. "It was just a thought. You seem to be by yourself a lot."

I shook my head quickly, signing an affirmative to him before I knew what I was doing.

"Oh... Alright. Cool! We'll probably be around here somewhere. They're really nice, y'know." He smiled, grabbing up his plate. "See you later, then."

I stared down at the table, fingers gripping the hem of my skirt tightly. ' _Why did I say yes?'_

' _Teammates...'_ I thought meekly, as the bell chimed through the hall. ' _They're complicated.'_

* * *

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

' _Well... Didn't see that coming...'_ I thought, as I raced down the hallway towards History. I'd been trying to include my masked teammate for weeks without success, as she always vanished somewhere on her own when I asked.

_'Though_ _why am I complaining? It would be nice to spend time with a member of my team, for once.'_

As I ran, however, I looked up just in time to see a girl struggling with a large stack of books in her arms step out from behind the corner ahead, straight in front of me

' _Oh crap!'_

" _Look out!_ " I called out. She turned around, letting out a small gasp of surprise as I tried to slow down. Unfortunately, I couldn't avoid colliding into her, sending us both falling towards the stone floor. I managed to angle myself so I would cushion her fall, smacking my head hard against the ground.

Think I must've blacked out for a second there, the world coming back in a haze of unfocused pain. I groaned, feeling something soft nudging my face along with a very light weight on my chest.

"Ah... Wh-what...?"

I closed my eyes, trying to brush whatever it was away. As soon as I touched it, though, someone let out a terrified squeak. My eyes shot open, vision clearing as I noticed both me and the girl, wearing the Beacon girl's uniform, sprawled out in the hallway in a pile of scattered books, with her... ears, a pair of long brown rabbit ears sprouting from beneath long similarly colored hair, a short way away from my face. She leapt up quickly, red in the face as she clutched at them protectively, while I stared from my hand to her face for a few seconds, before the realization hit me, feeling the blood rush to my face.

_'Why's it **always** me?'_

"O-oh shit!" I stammered out, scrambling to my feet, shaking a bit as the world went sideways for a moment. The girl, a Rabbit Faunus I realized, backed away from me quickly. "I am... Wow, I am _so_ sorry!" I apologized, as I held up my arms. "I-I didn't see you there, and..." I continued to ramble on with apologies, as she just stood there watching me nervously. I took a deep breath forcing myself to calm down. "Look, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you alright?"

She hesitated, before nodding slowly, "I-I'm okay..." she said in a quiet, lightly accented voice.

"That's a relief. Sorry about the thing with your ears. Did I hurt them, or something?"

"No, no!" she said quickly. "It's just that when you touched them, I thought you were going to... Never mind. It's not important." Her gaze then fell the ground.

"If you say so..." I rubbed the back of my head nervously, before seeing her bend down for the books. "Here, let me help you with those." I knelt down, grabbing some of the heavier looking ones.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "Professor Oobleck told me he wanted these from the library as reference for today's class."

"You're in History, right now?" I asked, looking over at her. I'd thought the girl looked familiar, though I couldn't quite place it.

"It's okay if you don't really remember me. I don't really speak out much," she admitted with a shrug.

"Well, my name's Joel Ambrose. Nice to meet you."

I held out an arm for her to shake, balancing the heavy books in the other. She glanced down at the hand suspiciously, before giving it a quick shake.

"Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina," she greeted, giving me a small smile. It suited her.

"Well, Velvet, since we're both heading the same way, I might as well help you with these books. Least I can do for running into you like that."

"Alright... If it isn't too much trouble?"

"It's not, trust me." I hefted the books easily under one arm, Aura-enhanced musculature making the task a breeze.

From there, the walk to class was actually pretty fun. It turned out Velvet was a member of Team CFVY, one of the more experienced teams at Beacon.

"So you're a Mage?" I asked excitedly, as the Rabbit Faunus blushed. "That's awesome!"

"It's not that big of a deal."

"Are you kidding? A skilled mage is worth an entire _team_ of regular Huntsmen against the Grimm! Hell, being able to use Dust magic makes you practically a celebrity, where I come from." I'd seen what a good Dust Mage could manage, the thought sending a cold shiver down my spine as I recalled a witch's cackling laughter as explosions echoed before her.

"C-celebrity?..." the Faunus said shakily, turning pale at the mere prospect with her eyes fixed on the floor. "I don't think that's for me."

"My point is that you have an awesome talent that sets you apart," I said comfortingly as she stared up at me. "You shouldn't put yourself down for it."

"I... Thank you." She gave me a short bow as we reached the door, the sound of Professor Oobleck's usual rapid-fire lecture ringing out from within. "Sorry about you being late because of me."

"Hey, I ran into you, remember? It's not your fault. Besides..." I flashed her a friendly grin. "I got to meet someone nice, so it was worth it."

I opened the door, giving a small start of surprise as the professor seemed to appear in front of me instantly. The man had messy green hair, which mirrored everything about his attire. His white buttoned shirt was partially tucked into his dark-green pants, with the collar raised. He had a yellow tie around his neck, but it was very slack. Hell, even his shoes were mismatched! The right shoe was black, while the left one was brown! He had mug of coffee in hand, sipping on it as it stood in front of us. His circular spectacles were white, almost opaque. I noticed that what ever was in the mug, most likely coffee if his speed was any indication, was steaming hot. Did some of the steam get on his glasses? Maybe, but then how would he be able to see? It was confusing.

"Ah! Miss Scarlatina! Thank you for your assistance, place the materials on the desk, and find an open seat! You too, Mr. Ambrose, though might I ask why you're so late?..."

I hesitated, but only out of bewilderment. It was due to the fact he had spoken so fast. I did make out what he said, but it took me a few seconds. Before I could respond, Velvet stepped forward, drawing his attention.

"Professor, Joel found me on the way to class struggling with the books, and wanted to help me carry them. It's my fault he's late."

Upon hearing this, Oobleck's gaze shifted from Velvet to me, before nodding in understanding.

"Is that so? Chivalry... An admirable trait that is sadly fast becoming uncommon in today's day and age. Applause to you, Mr. Ambrose. Now, both of you take your seats, so the lecture can begin."

We both thanked him, placing the books on the desk, before taking a pair of open seats in the front row, right in front of Team RWBY.

"Thanks for covering for me," I chimed in, grateful for her kind gesture.

"It was no trouble," she assured.

"Well!" the Professor called out, zipping to the front of the classroom, snatching up one of the books carefully, before moving just as quickly to the board. On it was a large map of Remnant, covered with various articles and papers linked with red strings. "Now that we have the materials, let us begin with our next topic: the Faunus Rights Revolution, or 'Faunus Wars,' which we will be covering for the next few weeks!"

I noticed Velvet flinch lightly, while a few students booed the choice.

"Now, now, we'll have none of that!" Oobleck tapped the board, silencing the students with stern glares. "This is a crucial part of history! One that has had lasting repercussions not just for Faunus, but also Humans as well. I think we'll start there. Who can give me an example?... _Mr. Winchester!_ "

A large, burly student, burnt orange hair combed backwards on his head and indigo eyes, who'd been leaning back in his chair sat up. Winchester, most likely, or Cardin, as he was usually known as. I'd heard things about the guy; none too favorable.

"Well, the White Fang, obviously," he said, voice dripping with smug condescension. "Those criminal freaks who keep spouting off that equality nonsense."

His words got a few cries of sympathy from a few students around the classroom. Many were those come from the students that had been against the topic in the first place.

"Hmm..." the teacher mused, before he gave a short "tsk" of disapproval. "Indeed... The White Fang's current activities can be viewed as a repercussion of the war. Many forget that it was once an organization that promoted peace." His eyes halted on me, suddenly, before continuing. "...Though it can hardly be said that Humans themselves have been entirely blameless, especially with such attitudes... Tell me, has anyone in this classroom ever heard of the Humanity's Hands Front?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, I stiffened in my seat, doing my best to keep calm as whispers of confusion rang through the hall.

"Not many, I see... Well, you may likely know them from the name the press dubbed them: the Red Hand..."

That got the reaction he'd been expecting. The room quickly fell silent. Velvet even shivered slightly. Looking around the classroom, I saw similar reactions from the other Faunus students.

A student with deeply tanned skin hesitantly raised his hand. "Uh, sir?... Who or what's the Red Hand?"

"...Oh, I forgot. Some of you students from other Kingdoms may be unaware, as the group operates mainly within the Sanus regions..." Zooming over to where the student sat, Oobleck took a quick swig of his cup, before continuing. "Originally, the HHF acted as an organization devoted to assisting the victims affected by the disasters, providing homes and other amenities to orphans, as well as financial assistance with families. Towards the end of their charitable days, the HHF began to shift their focus on helping peoples affected by the White Fang's terrorist attacks." His expression darkened slightly. "Though, it seems history does have a habit of repeating itself... As in the case of the White Fang, the organization experienced a shift in dynamic, focusing less on recovery, and more on violence, as Huntsmen and Huntresses who'd lost their families sought vengeance. They trained others to do the same."

_''Trained'... That's a weak word for it.'_

"So what's the problem, Teach?" Winchester asked from his perch. "Seems to me like they're just paying the freaks back for what they did to them."

Words of approval rose up again. _'Seems he has a lot of people on his side...'_

"Yes, it can be said that they have every reason to be angry..." Oobleck consented, eyes fixed on the large student. "But by that logic, those in the White Fang, who experienced violence and discrimination at the hands of Humans, also have a fair reason to do what they do. Is _that_ what you meant?"

"W-what!? I... N-no, I..." Winchester spluttered, trying to counter his own claim.

I winced to myself, though, as my thoughts drifted back to my early days after joining the organization.

* * *

**(Roughly Three Years Ago - Location Unknown)**

"Remember, all of you!" the instructor called out to the assembled group, gravelly voice ringing out through the large, dimly lit warehouse. "To fight a Faunus is _not_ like fighting a Creature of Grimm. Though animals all the same, these are _not_ unthinking beasts!" The man was enormous, bald, and openly covered in battle scars that spoke of long years in combat. "Each member of the Fang is trained in the basics of combat. And each Faunus possesses greater physical potential and senses that put an average Human to shame. So... how do we win?"

**_"SUPERIOR TRAINING AND WILLPOWER, SIR!"_** we all responded in practiced unison, the lesson beaten into each of us for the past few weeks.

"Correct! If one Faunus is worth three men in the field, we will produce warriors worth an _army._ If they are greater than the average, we will be _above_ average! _Beyond it!_ " He began to pace back and forth along the group, looking at each of us individually. "You all have some training in the art of fighting with Aura, or else you wouldn't not be here. But know this: _YOU ARE **NOT** HUNTSMEN!_ "

He shouted that last part in the face of a cowering recruit.

"Unlike the rest of our brothers and sisters, you will be trained as one-man and woman armies! You will be Trappers! Warriors that will know the scourge of the White Fang, hunt them where they feel secure, and root them out..."

He paused in front of Natalie, who flinched as he leaned in closer to her. "Recruit Corbell, why do you want to be a Trapper?"

"T-to avenge my father, sir!" she replied in a shaky voice, taking a deep breath.

"A solid sentiment, likely one that many here share..." He nodded, before fixing her with a vicious glare "Though your combat skills in training show a distinct lack of drive."

I gritted my teeth at the display, but kept my mouth shut. ' _She should be in Logistics, not in training! Stubborn...'_

"Form up into pairs and spar! Full contact!"

It was always like this, harsh sparring sessions ending in broken bones, terrifying will, sensory enhancement exercises, and intense obstacle courses in horrendous conditions. More than one recruit had ended up badly injured or worse for the experience.

I let out a grunt as I flipped my opponent, a large boy, maybe a year older than I was, over my head and onto the ground, pulling his arm back to the point of breaking. The instructor walked up to me, giving me a quick nod as a signal for me to back off from the whimpering boy.

"Disgraceful recruit... _Very_ disgraceful. Your dead sister must be crying, right now!" he spat out in disgust, before delivering a sharp kick to the side of my opponent's head, knocking him out. "Get this filth out of here, now!" he ordered. Two guards standing off to the side gave him a quick salute, before dragging the prone ex-recruit out.

"Next time use that Semblance of yours," he said as an aside to me, before stalking off to supervise another group. "Saves us the trouble of wasting supplies on them."

I knelt down, panting heavily as I nursed a bruise at my side. Suddenly, a shrill scream of pain split the air. A voice I was very familiar with. ' _Natalie!'_ I leapt up, catching sight of her with her hands on her face, blood streaming from a broken nose.

"Sthop! _Pwease!_ " Natalie cried out, voice distorted from the injury.

" _Stop!?_ " the instructor mocking barked, as he walked up beside her, staring at the small girl as if she were insane. "The Fang won't stop if you get a boo boo,Corbell! Briar, keep hitting her until she toughens up."

Her opponent, a girl with long black hair hair striped with purple highlights moved forward, giving her a solid hit to the side, and sending Natalie coughing and spluttering to the floor.

She raised her fist again, but paused as I stepped in front of her, shielding the crying girl. "Leave her alone!" I pushed her away roughly, voice tinged with fury. "She's done."

"She's done when I _say_ she's done, Ambrose," the large man retorted, as he stood back. "I heard Huntsmen from Bastion were among the best of the best individually. I suppose that's not entirely the case." He shifted his gaze to the rest to the nine remaining recruits. "All of you! I want Corbell to learn her lesson! If Ambrose gets in the way, make him move.

The next few minutes passed in a bloody haze of shouting, cries, and snaps of bone, that ended when I glared at the astonished Trapper full in the face, with nine bodies groaning on the floor. Cradling my side as blood dripped past my rapidly swelling eye, my gaze never left him as a pulse of electricity ran down my arm.

"I said... Leave. Her. _Alone_ ," I hissed menacingly.

The older man met my gaze evenly. He expression was neutral, which was a unsettling, considering the sight before him.

Finally, his lips stretched upwards into a satisfied smile. "Boys, escort Recruit Corbell to the infirmary. Set her up in Logistics and information gathering," he ordered. grinning widely at me. "Same with Recruit Ambrose. Then, once he's cleared, bring him to the forge for his weapon... Welcome to the Trappers, boy. Congratulations."

I spat a wad of blood onto the ground, helping Natalie to her feet as I limped out of the room. "Go fuck yourself."

* * *

" _Mr. Ambrose!_ "

The Professor's voice brought me out of my reverie. I slightly jumped from my spot, frowning when I realized that everyone's eyes were on me.

"Er... Yes, sir?" I replied, trying to suppress my embarrassment at being caught daydreaming, and driving the unpleasant memories from my mind as quickly as they had come.

"I had asked you your opinion about what can be learned from the example of the Red Hand, and how we can apply that to our role as Huntsmen," he clarified, arms crossed with his mug in his right hand.

I stared back at the green-haired man, resisting the urge to narrow my eyes at him. ' _He's probing me, trying to test me... He's probably one of the teachers Ozpin had talked about. The ones who were against me attending the school.'_

Taking a deep breath, I gave him my response. "Well, sir, I believe that the Red Hand is a shining example of how even the best ideals and intentions can be corrupted by vengeance, and thoughts of retribution. As Huntsmen, it's our duty to avoid letting such thoughts guide us. We're expected to act with clear heads, and stick to our beliefs, so that everyone may benefit. Both Faunus and Human, alike."

Professor Oobleck rubbed his chin with his left hand. I couldn't read him, seeing as I couldn't get a good look at his eyes. Regardless, he began to nod slowly as seconds passed by.

"An... interesting answer, Mr. Ambrose... Well, that is all the time we have for today, class. Before you go, however!..." The man took a last sip from his mug, before zipping around the classroom at lightning speed, dropping a paper in front of every student, before appearing back in front of his desk. "For this week's project, you will be required to work with a partner. Both of you will be relating these examples, as well as finding others throughout history, and write an essay on the subject. Class dismissed!"

As students began to get up, I turned to Velvet with a hopeful look on my face.

"Hey, wanna work together on this with me?" I held up the paper. "I don't really know anyone in this class who doesn't have a partner."

"I'll work with you, Joel! _Please?_ " Ruby said, suddenly popping her head between us with a desperate look on her face, only to be pulled back by a very stern heiress.

"Oh, no, you don't! You're not escaping me that easily, team leader!"

I spared a thought of sympathy for the small hooded girl as she was dragged away by her partner, before focusing on the Rabbit Faunus again.

"So...?"

"That's... That's fine," she answered, clutching her notes to her chest as she gave me a small smile. "I'll do my best to not be too difficult."

"I doubt that'll be a problem," I assured her, grinning widely. We agreed to meet up tomorrow to go over the project. She seemed to happy about our partnership, judging by how she hopped off happily.

Sighing in relief, I was about to leave the room, myself. Oobleck's voice calling out to me, however, stopped me at the last moment.

"Mr. Ambrose!... A word, if you will?..."

Blinking, I turned around to find the man standing behind me staring me eye to eye. The lecture hall was deserted, save for the two of us. This made me a bit nervous, considering he had his arms crossed, and I still couldn't read his expression, though he was frowning.

My fears were assuaged, however, as Oobleck exhaled from his nose, relaxing as he nodded to me. "I'm sorry that I had to involve you in such a personal topic without warning. I hadn't meant to broach the topic until later in the course. I hope it didn't make you too uncomfortable."

I resisted the urge to arch an eyebrow. _'He's giving me an apology? Wasn't expecting that... Guess my answer was satisfactory, after all.'_

"Oh, it's... It's no trouble at all, Professor, especially if it had been planned for the future, already," I assured, bowing respectfully afterwards. "In fact, I actually wanted to thank you."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Not many people care to remember the good the organization used to do, or the fact that they were good to begin with. I actually wish I'd joined the Hand during those days. Maybe if I had, things wouldn't have gotten..."

I fell silent, unable to continue. Oobleck must have understood what I was trying to say, seeing that the rest was painfully written on my face.

"I see. Well, I wish you luck, Mr. Ambrose. So far, you have displayed a behavior that indicates that you have learned from your previous history, as well as the consequences that came from it. See to it that doesn't change anytime soon." He smiled evilly when he finished speaking, foot tapping on the ground rapidly.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," I replied, bowing to him again before leaving the room for lunch.

Despite the evil smile he gave me, I couldn't help but feel glad that he had taken the time to speak with me personally. ' _I think I just found my new favorite teacher.'_

-END

**_-CODEX-_ **

**Humanity's Hands Front-** A charity and outreach organization originally founded in the wake of the advent of Grimm-related disasters, it began to shift in policy around the time of the first White Fang attacks, focusing on assisting survivors of the White Fang's terrorist actions. Services included providing homes, food, and education for those affected, and asking for little in return. Over time, however, as dissension and hatred against the White Fang grew, members with Huntsman training began an effort to train victims to defend themselves against further attacks, later assuming full control, and militarizing the once peaceful group into what is now known as the "Red Hand," reorganizing itself into a full militia and mercenary company completely devoted to the countering of White Fang interests. It was later reclassified as a vigilante terrorist organization in the eyes of the Kingdoms, after a string of attacks on Faunus connected, or believed to be connected, with the White Fang, and its recent violent actions against the organization itself, often left no survivors. It holds direct contacts and supporters across Remnant in a massive network, with hands in the arms trade and private security.

**Trapper-** The designation given to members of a small covert branch of the Red Hand's military forces made up almost exclusively of former Huntsmen, or Huntsman Academy students, that first appeared soon after the organization's reclassification. While all members of the Red Hand receive, or are at least drilled in the basics of combat, and make effective soldiers in their own right, Trappers are conditioned both physically and mentally to be one-person armies, the training boasting a roughly ninety percent washout rate amongst its applicants, with close to forty percent due to severe injuries, and twenty percent due to fatalities. Receiving a variety of benefits through applied Aura training, nutritional supplements, and, in some cases, even medical intervention, each Trapper possess enhanced senses, especially in terms of hearing and smell. Regarded with fear among Faunus and Human alike, as well as other Red Hand members, these soldiers possess a reputation of brutal effectiveness, and an almost inhuman ability to take pain and punishment, sometimes operating with grievous injuries that would cripple a normal individual seemingly through willpower alone. Joel Ambrose remains the only known member to have been taken alive by Kingdom authorities, or to leave the Red Hand in general, and is currently under strict supervision by the staff of Beacon Academy in the Kingdom of Vale, on the continent of Sanus.


	6. A TOAST

**"…" – Spoken**

**' _Italics'_ \- Thought**

**(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters, they belong to Monty Oum of Roosterteeth Productions, and those characters you see not from the show like the main character are my own OCs for the purpose of the story. Enjoy) - Mojo1586**

A TOAST

**_-Benjamin Carson-_ **

"Hey, Benny... That was just... _Wow..._ " Lynette... No, _Diana,_ I mentally corrected, said breathlessly as she buttoned her shirt while looking back at me. "You're amazing!"

"You are too, babe," I said lazily, wiping sweat off of my brow. I leaned back on the bed, raising my right arm towards the ceiling, clenching and unclenching the metal fingers. I listened closely to the light whirring of gears the motion caused. "Hey, you happen to know what time it is?"

"Should be getting pretty close to dinner, right now," the girl said, checking her Scroll as she slid on her blazer. "I'm going to go get us something to eat. And then..." She moved towards me, swaying her hips seductively as she gave me a light kiss on the cheek. "We can get back to the fun."

" _Mmm-hmm,_ " I said, giving her the obligatory smile and pat on the ass as she left. I sighed, staring back at the mechanical appendage, wincing as I felt one of the joints tighten painfully,

"Shit..." I cursed with annoyance. I flared my aura lightly, focusing intently on the arm as the pain slowly faded back to the usual dull throb at the back of my mind.

 _'What a pain in the ass...'_ I thought as I got up and walked to the bathroom. _'She'll be a while. Might as well relax while I can, and switch out Psycho's sheets...'_

Closing the door behind me, I turned on the shower, stepping beneath the hot water and letting my muscles unwind. "That's one thing about Beacon that beats the Badlands... _Showers._ Never thought I'd miss those, so much."

Overall, I supposed this place hadn't been so bad. Three decent meals a day, basic amenities like running water, an actual _bed_ , not to mention an abundance of beautiful Huntresses-in-training more than willing to make memories. And all I had to do was bullshit the occasional assignment for class.

 _'Things could definitely be worse,'_ I thought, drifting back to the early days after that damned accident, waking up in that detention center broken, bruised, and crippled, with Reika sitting next to me, acting like a crazed guard dog as she kept doctors and police officials at bay... If Dad hadn't turned himself in when he did... If that Ironwood guy and Ozpin hadn't...

I shut all of that down in an instant, shoving them out of my thoughts. ' _Positives, Carson. Think on the positives. The arm doesn't hurt that much anymore, and Reika's been openin' up, at least.'_

Back in the old days, after Dad had picked her up, the damaged girl had spent most of her time with either me or Ma, shying away from everyone else and any place that people congregated. Since coming to Beacon, however, the girl had slowly started showing up to meals, walking the halls between classes...

' _Bein' around all these new people's good for her... Doin' more than we did, at least,_ ' I though wistfully, before grinning widely. I, for one, was perfectly content to hang back and let her explore her newfound interests. After all, she deserved her own bit of normality.

I spent a few more minutes in peaceful silence before I heard the telltale click of the bathroom door opening. A pair of arms snaked around my chest, as I felt something warm and soft press up behind me.

"Hey, Benny... Mind if I join you?" a familiar voice purred in my ear. I laughed despite myself, spinning around as the huntress in training jumped me, sending me sliding to the floor in a wet heap.

_'A dashin' rogue's work is never done... Man, **where** do they get the energy?'_

* * *

**_-Reika Murasaki-_ **

R. E. I. K. A.

I wrote the last character, sliding it over to the blonde professor who sat across from me. She picked it up, scanning it with an approving nod.

"Very good, Miss Murasaki. You still seem a bit uncomfortable, but that should fade in time as you keep practicing, though you do seem to have the majority of the letters handled." She slid the paper into a purple folder and slid it into her desk. "You've actually shown a remarkable span of improvement since we started. Excellent work. That will be all for today."

I nodded at her, bowing my head respectfully, before rushing for the door.

"Oh, and don't forget," she spoke up, making me pause in my step. "For our next session, we promised that we'd try and discuss your past again."

I paused, hand clenched on the doorknob, before calmly nodding and leaving the room.

_'Damn it. I thought she might've forgotten... Should've known better, I suppose.'_

Problem was the woman never seemed to forget anything you told her. In just a few weeks, she'd learned just about as much of my handtalk as Ben did, and he was the one who helped develop it.

Maybe "talking" about what happened with Goodwitch wouldn't be so bad? She reminded me of Ma from back when I was running with Bill's posse. The heavyset, redheaded woman had been the one taking care of Ben and I during the early years at camp, giving us chores and keeping us, well Ben mostly, out of trouble. Ma wasn't her real name, of course. She wasn't Ben's mother, either. Just something Ben and most of the men in the group had called her. From what I understood, she'd been taking care of the Boss' son since he was a toddler, and had been more than willing to do the same for me when I was brought in.

 _'No wonder Ben hates the Professor. He used to spit fire about Ma whenever she caught him doing something bad,'_ I recalled, looking out the window at the clear blue sky. ' _I hope they're all okay.'_

They'd never told us what had happened to the rest of the gang after Bill turned himself in, though I suspected that, if the others hadn't done the same, they would all be hanging low, keeping off of the Kingdom's radar.

To be quite honest, I hardly remember anything from that far back. According to Ma, I must've suppressed it, my mind hiding it from me to try and protect myself. I could make out fire, howling, screams... Someone telling me to run... Trees falling around me...

"Reika?" a familiar voice suddenly called.

I spun around, catching sight of Joel making his way down the hall, and waving at me. He'd changed out of his uniform into a pair of jeans and a short sleeve blue t-shirt covered in white lightning designs.

_'Probably carried it out with him, since I can still sense those two in the room.'_

"It is you! How'd your thing with Goodwitch go?"

I flashed him an _"O.K."_ falling into step beside him as we moved towards the mess hall along with the rest of the students. _"How was your lesson?"_ I asked him with my hands.

He took a few seconds, but seemed to finally nail down what I was asking. "Fine, just fine. Even met a new friend. Well, actually... more like ran into her... It's sort of a long story."

I nodded, glancing around at the packed hall. Most of the students chatted about what to do over the weekend.

"Over here," Joel gestured, leading me over to one of the tables. There, a small group sat laughing.

 _'RWBY and JNPR...'_ I realized, remembering seeing them around school, and even with with Joel sometimes, but I had never talked to them.

"Hey, guys!" Joel greeted amiably.

"Hey, Joel!" greeted a beautiful girl with incredible blonde hair, that turned in her seat to flash him a wide grin. Unlike Joel, she was wearing her school uniform, along with everyone else at the table. The girl seemed pretty happy to see Joel, radiating a cheerful aura. "You mind helping us out with something?" she asked my teammate, giving him some room to sit down.

"What do you need?" my leader asked, taking the seat next to her.

"Nora and I need an impartial judge for a little contest," she explained, smiling over to an energetic orange haired girl with turquoise eyes who was cracking her knuckles.

"We're going to arm wrestle," the girl elaborated further. "The winner gets two tickets to the _Achieve Men_ concert in Vale this weekend that Weiss scored off one of her admirers. But of course, she's too ' _high class_ ' to go."

"That boy was only after one thing," the regal looking white-haired Huntress with the off-center ponytail huffed angrily, before focusing on the brawler. "And excuse me, Yang, for preferring a more refined brand of music; not that inane wailing you seem to enjoy."

"I'm going to conveniently forget that you just insulted the best band to ever grace the face of Remnant. Because you're my friend. And teammate, Weiss. Still unlearned in the art of having a good time. That, and I want those tickets!"

"Those tickets are _mine!_ " The other girl, Nora, declared, patting her right bicep happily. I noticed Joel immediately slide down the table along with the rest of the group, before looking back at me, patting the seat next to him.

"Hey, one quick thing before you two wreck the table! Everyone, this is Reika Murasaki," Joel addressed as he gestured to me. Everyone on the table turned to me, greeting me with nodding gestures that I returned, albeit a bit awkwardly in turn. "She's one of the other members of my team. I wanted to introduce you all," he continued.

"So he actually _DOES_ have a team?" said white-haired girl, Weiss, said. Her tone was that of mock surprise. "I thought he was just lying, considering how little time he spends with them."

I could've sworn I'd seen the girl somewhere before...

"Weiss, don't be rude!" the girl sitting next to her chided, before turning to smile at me nervously. She had black hair with red tint on the edges, and wore a long red cloak with a hood. "Sorry. She's not like this usually."

I observed the girl closely, looking at the red hood she wore. I had seen her wear it all the time in and out of classes. Even in her school uniform she kept wearing the thing, pinning it to her blazer with cross-shaped pins. I wasn't one to talk, figuratively speaking, seeing as I wore my mask all the time, as well, save for when I showered, and when I slept. It was probably the same for her.

"Uh, Sis? Yeah she is," the blonde girl, Yang, said as she raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"No, I'm _NOT!_ " Weiss shot back, obviously annoyed.

Listening to their banter, I suddenly realized who this girl was. Weiss Schnee, SDC's heiress. I saw Joel watching me out the corner of his eye, and knew exactly what he was thinking. He needn't have bothered, though. Robbing Schnee Dust shipments hadn't been personal. They were just the best way to survive. That didn't mean it had to be mentioned, though...

"What about when you first met Ruby?" Yang went on, grinning smugly. "Then there was when you met Jaune. And I suppose we didn't exactly get off on the right foot, either. Now Joel, too..."

"...Okay, so I can be a bit..."

"Bitchy?" Yang supplied, cutting the heiress off and earning a sharp look from Ruby in response. "Sorry," she apologized as she held up her hands, moving back to her food.

"I was going to say 'harsh,'" Weiss finished, looking away haughtily.

"Don't mind her," Yang dismissed, clapping me on my back, the force of it almost driving me into the table. "Er- Sorry!... Anyway, my name's Yang Xiao Long. This is my little sister, and team leader, Ruby Rose, and her partner Weiss Schnee."

She gestured across the table. "And these guys over here are Team JNPR." The other team introduced themselves, their leader being first, introducing himself as Jaune Arc, a blonde boy with messy, short length hair, and blue eyes. The girl on his left was his partner, Pyrrha Nikos. I knew her as the girl from the Pumpkin Pete's cereal boxes some shopkeepers managed to smuggle in from the Kingdoms. Just like on the box, she had red hair tied in a long ponytail, with a bronze circlet headpiece on top. The other girl introduced her self as Nora Valkyrie, saying her name in a sing-songy voice. The other boy next to her called himself Lie Ren, and gave me short bow, which I quickly returned. He had long black hair tied back into a ponytail, with a magenta streak on the left side of his hair. His eyes were the same color as that of the streak on his hair.

I sat back down, a bit freaked out by their personalities. But things seemed to be going well, regardless...

Pyrrha leaned forward towards me. "So, Reika, we heard from Joel that you, um... don't talk much."

I stiffened, surprised over the fact that she knew of my condition, before jabbing Joel hard in the side, sending him into a coughing fit.

" _Ack!_ What!?"

"It's all good..." Yang reassured me, giving Joel a sympathetic look. "Honestly, it doesn't matter too much. Combined with the mask, it actually gives you this whole ninja thing, Bet you'd get along great with our other teammate, Blake... Actually, speaking of Blake, Ruby, where is she?"

"Libwawy..." the small girl answered through a mouthful of cookies, stopping as Yang shot her a stern look. "'Donh't thalk with my mowth full.' Sorwy." She waited a few seconds, swallowing the food in her mouth before continuing. "She said she had to catch up on an assignment for Grimm Studies."

"Well, either way, I'm sure you guys would like each other."

From there, the conversation moved more towards my interests, and how I was enjoying things here at Beacon, with them asking questions and Joel translating as best he could. I did notice Weiss staring at my mask, but besides that, they really went out of their way to include me. Meanwhile, next to me, a furious battle seemed to be taking place between Yang and Nora.

"Valkyrie, just give up. Those tickets _WILL_ be mine!" Yang growled, as she sat, deadlocked hand in hand with Nora. "You can try all you want, but resistance is futile."

She applied more force, and I could see a bead of sweat drip down Valkyrie's brow, as her arm began to shake under the strain. Joel leaned forward on the table, eyes watching as the others stood back, cheering for their teammate.

"Yang, you've got this in the bag!" Ruby cried out, as Nora's arm began to bend back.

"Break her arm, Nora! Channel the sloth!" JNPR's leader coached.

"Jaune! Yang is still our friend!" the Amazon scolded him.

"Sorry, Pyrrha..." the blonde knight apologized meekly, scratching his cheek with an embarrassed flush.

Ren just stood there silently, eyes fixed on Nora's back, a flash of worry in his eyes.

I tapped Joel's shoulder to get his attention. "What's up?"

I pointed towards Ren, then at Nora, before putting both of my hands together. "Huh?... Oh. Maybe, I dunno. Hey, Ren, Reika's asking if you're gonna go to the concert with Nora if she wins?"

All eyes turned to the boy, who looked around at us, awkwardly scratching his hair.

He sighed, nodding his head. "Yes, I suppose so, if she wants me to go...!"

He hadn't even finished talking before a huge crash rang through the room as Nora sent Yang tumbling through the broken remains of the table. Joel had managed to leap back in time, but Yang, however, hadn't been so lucky, as she stirred weakly beneath broken splinters. Her opponent was standing over her, laughing maniacally.

"Hahahahaha! I'm still queen of _THIS_ castle! _OH YEAH!_ " she cheered loudly, gaining the attention of the entire mess hall. She continued for a few seconds, before stopping, turning to face us as we stared back at her with fear.

"Um... Yay?" she giggled nervously. Shaking her head, she took the tickets from Weiss, who passed them to her with a look of disbelief etched on her face, before moving to where Ren stood.

"So, uh, Ren! Want to go with me to the concert this weekend?" she asked nervously.

The magenta-haired Huntsman smiled, ruffling her hair playfully before taking the ticket from her. "Sure thing, Nora."

The bubbly Huntress practically screamed with joy, tackling the boy to the ground as I picked Joel up from the floor, while Ruby tried to revive Yang unsuccessfully.

 _"Are they dating?"_ I asked Joel with my gestures. He was still in the process of picking wood chips out of his clothes, but he just shrugged in response.

"Not exactly sure... According to her, they're just friends. But you have to admit, it'd be pretty cute," he laughed under his breath, before moving to help Ruby get the blonde to her feet.

I looked around at the assembled group. Both Teams RWBY and JNPR were laughing together, as onlookers applauded the victorious Huntress as she stood perched on the table.

It took me a moment to realize I was smiling beneath the mask. And it felt so... nice.

_'...Huh.'_

* * *

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

"So how did we end up getting stuck with this, again?" Yang called out to me, queuing up her Scroll to play _Achieve Men's "RAGE QUIT!"_ for the fifth time, as I swept scattered wood chips into a manageable pile.

' _Someone's a bit sore about losing those tickets...'_ I mused internally, as the two of us were the only ones left in the hall at this point, with everyone else long having finished dinner and left.

"Well, when Goodwitch came running in and saw the table, you had the noble idea to take the blame so Nora and the rest of them wouldn't get detention over the weekend. And I, being the nice guy I am, volunteered myself as a scapegoat to help you out." I reminded, as I cricked my neck, reaching for the large dust pan lying next to me. "Thanks again for making Reika feel welcome, by the way. From what I understand, she isn't too used to hanging around people very often."

The brawler gave me a thumbs up. "You kidding? She was _awesome!_ Everyone really seemed to like her. Even Weiss... though I think that was more because she didn't talk than because of her personality."

She grunted as we heaved the pile into the can, stepping back to examine our work. It had taken awhile, but we had finally managed to get every piece of the wrecked table picked up. Now all we had to do was help the crew move the new table in tomorrow.

"Either way, I appreciate it. And I'm sure she does, too. What do you think they're doing, right now?" I asked, as the blonde dragged the heavy trash can towards me.

"Pizza, and a few rounds of _Remnant: The Game_ , if they stuck to the plan. And... _Done!_ " Yang declared, having put the trash can in its rightful place in the room.

Walking back over to me after a few minutes, she sat down on the bench behind us, tossing me a can of soda, before grabbing her own. "Well, that's that mess finally cleaned up. I still can't believe Nora actually beat me! I had her on the ropes..." she muttered, taking a quick swig. "This close. _THIS_ close, and I'd be watching the lads shredding it live on stage this weekend!"

"Hey, it's not too bad. It made Nora's day, and you know it," I pointed out, tossing the broom aside, and patting the pouting girl on the shoulder.

"I know... But still, how could she floor me like that?"

"Never underestimate the lengths someone will go for love," I said, taking the seat next to her, leaning my head back on the table. "My mom said that to me a few years ago."

"What was the occasion?"

"Mentioned it while she was getting patched up. We'd been camping outside the city, and my little brother, Jake, and I had managed to wander off straight into an Ursa," I sighed, remembering how much of an idiot I'd been back then. "I thought we were done for. But suddenly, Mom's standing there, looking every bit the heroic Huntress she was. She got a small scratch, but she managed to kill the thing with her bare hands. I asked her if she was scared at all, and that's what she told me."

Yang's eye twitched slightly, but she played it off. Pretty well, too. I almost didn't catch it.

"Your mom sounds awesome... Y'know, it's weird... I've known you for weeks, and this is the first time I've ever heard you talk about your family before," Yang observed, looking over at me quizzically. "Or anything about your home life, really."

"Oh... I, uh... I don't really like to talk about it..." I replied, bringing the drink up to my lips. "I attended Aegis Academy in the city of Bastion, where I grew up. The rest of it is a bit more personal. As for my parents, well... They're, uh... They're not around anymore."

The girl's eyes widened upon hearing that, no doubt feeling bad for bringing it up. "O-oh! Oh. Omigosh. Joel, I... I-I'm so sorry," she began to apologize. but I held up a hand reassuringly.

"It's all good... You didn't know. Besides, it happened a long time ago. I've had time."

"Still... to lose both of your parents..." she muttered sadly.

"Yeah..."

She kept frowning sadly for a few seconds, before shaking her head to snap out of it. "Ruby and I grew up on Patch. It's this little island off the West coast of Vale. Ever heard of it?"

After thinking for a moment, I shook my head. "Can't say that I have."

"Our parents were both Huntsmen. My dad taught at Signal Academy, while Mom took missions from all over. One day, she took off on a mission... and didn't come back."

I could see her eyes growing watery, my own expression dipping in sympathy for her. It was interesting how quickly our roles had reversed. Nonetheless, she quickly wiped her eyes dry with the sleeve of her blazer.

"Things... just weren't the same after that. Especially Dad."

"Yeah. I know what you mean..."

I remembered the aftermath of the attack. On the good days, it seemed like some cruel joke. On the bad, though...

"So that's why you and Ruby are so close... You're lucky to have each other, you know that?"

"Yeah... Hey, what about you and your brother?" she inquired innocently. Her face paused, however, when she noticed my fingers digging into the can, glancing at me with a worried expression on her face. "Not so lucky, I guess?"

"Last I heard, he's somewhere out in Atlas..." I replied, probably more bitterly than I might have liked. "We, uh... haven't spoken in a long time."

"What happened?"

I sighed heavily, thinking back to the last time I had seen him. When I practically left him alone. "...We had a disagreement. Things got a bit harsh, stuff was said, and we drifted apart after that." I leaned forward, glancing out the window at the setting sun. "Turns out he was right in the end, of course... Always was the smart one between the two of us."

"Family, huh?..." Yang muttered solemnly, before holding up her can towards me, smiling sadly. "To those we lost, and those we hold dear."

I stared at her, a shocked expression on my features as I saw what she had done. I quickly returned the smile, however, glad to share a drink with someone I could relate to, if only a little.

"To Thomas and Patrice Ambrose..." I toasted, raising my can up to hers.

"To Summer Rose..." she toasted, before we each took a long swig of our drinks, practically finishing them. We then tossed them into the trash can behind us.

* * *

**_-Maxine Argus-_ **

"Not seeing visitors, my ass!" I shouted, punching the wall next to me, as well as surprising everyone in the hall. I left a sizable crack at the cost of my hand hurting like hell. " _Fuck!_ "

_'Make me sit on an airship all day, getting stared at for nothing... Sonia...'_

" _Damn it!_ " I hissed, leaning my head against the wall, whilst trying to block out the nervous whispers that broke out as people passed by.

' _Stupid ears...'_

My nose crinkled as I entered our team's room. "What the...?"

"Howdy, Bitch," Ben's voice greeted as it rang out from the back of the room.

I moved the curtain aside to find the sharpshooter leaning back in his chair, in nothing but a pair of boxers, staring out an open window. A lit cigarette was on his lips.

"Thought you were gonna be gone for the weekend?" he asked as drew the smoke from his mouth between his metallic fingers, shaking the ashes out the open window. "Sorry about your nose. It should air out in a bit, if I timed this right."

"It's fine. I'm used to stuff like that. And about my weekend, stuff happened," I sighed, falling face first onto my soft mattress. "...Did you just call me 'Bitch?'"

"Noticed that, did ya? It's a new nickname I'm workin' on besides 'Miss Sadist.' Works 'cause you're part female dog, and your personality's kinda..." He trailed off.

"I get it..."

"Well, you haven't threatened to rip me apart and feed me to the worms, yet, so somethin' _must_ be wrong," he concluded from his chair. I could just hear that shit-eating grin in his tone.

"I'm _way_ too tired to care much... Plus, I'll give it to you. The nickname's actually somewhat clever," I admitted, voice muffled through the pillow. "When did you start smoking? Was your new groupie _that_ bad?"

"Nah, she's a treat. Violent little minx, too! You should see the scratches I'm nursin'..."

" _Way_ too much information, asshole!" I growled, throwing one of the loose textbooks lying by my bed over the partition at him. I smiled as I heard that satisfying yelp of pain.

" _That's_ the Dog Faunus I remember..." he groaned, sliding the book back under the curtain. "To answer your first question, I started a while ago. Some of the boys I used to run with got me into it. Dad and Reika weren't exactly pleased."

"You know those things can kill you, right?" I rolled over to my side and sat up, clutching my knees to my chest.

"My Aura counteracts the worst of it," he shot back.

From what I could smell, the wind had picked up, clearing most of the scent from the room.

' _No wonder I never noticed...'_

"'Sides, if I gave a shit about my health, I wouldn't be runnin' around with only one fleshy arm in a school that teaches you to throw yourself at the world's monsters, now would I?"

I wasn't entirely comfortable with the bitter tone with which he said that.

"Still, if Masky the Silent Ninja wants you to stop, shouldn't you? You guys are friends, right?"

 _'Why the hell do I care?... Let him do what he wants; it's not my problem!'_ I shook my head, shedding my clothes, and reaching for my pajamas.

"I don't need Reika influencin' how I act," he spat back, uncharacteristically harsh.

"Ooh. _Touchy_." I slipped the shirt over my head. "She let you talk like that to her face?"

"What about you and Psycho, then?" he countered, making me spin around to look at the patch of curtain angrily. "You don't seem to enjoy lettin' him boss you around."

"Just because I am who I am doesn't mean I need that goody, goody, wuss Ambrose to judge me."

"You sure he's judgin' ya? He just said keep your 'urges' out of combat, rather than just go off on ya. And he lets you fight him in trainin' all the time. Plus, I don't think the guy has any room to judge on violence..."

I glanced up, confused by the boy's statement. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh... Wait, he hasn't told you?" Carson asked, sounding genuinely shocked. "Eh, I guess that makes sense... I basically had to force him at gunpoint to tell me 'bout it."

"What is it?" I demanded, storming out of my bed and sweeping the curtain aside. "Tell me!"

"Ah, well... You're his partner, after all..." the blonde boy shrugged, extinguishing the cigarette in an ashtray perched on the table next to him. "You know that collar he wears all the time?" he asked while pointing to his neck, as if I didn't know what he'd meant.

"Yeah?"

"It's a device they use on prisoners to track their movements. I'm guessin' Psycho's bein' handled by either the Headmaster, or Goodbitch."

"Prisoners?... What'd he do?"

"Not sure on the specifics, but he's apparently killed _at least_ one person. Probably more, but you'd have to ask him." He then gave me a surprised look. "How could you not notice the amount of scars the guy has? He looks like he vacations in a warzone."

"Damn..." I hissed, slowly registering this new information about my partner.

"Don't grill him about it, though. It's in the past. 'Sides, it's not as if we come from perfect backgrounds, either," he conceded, glancing out the window.

"Excuse me?" I put my hands on my hips, glowering down at him. "What do you know about me?"

"Nothin', really. It's just that every time you come back from Vale each weekend, you always seem to have this sad look about you, though you do a decent job of hidin' it," he explained. He yelped shortly after, as I kicked the chair out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Don't watch me, creep!" I snapped as I pinned him to the floor with my foot, leaning over him teeth flashing. "And keep your damn habit away from me if you aren't gonna stop! Smells like crap in here!"

"Ooh, now _this_ is an interestin' side of you. Like bein' on top, huh?" he quipped with a smile.

I wiped it off his face by kicking him hard in the side, or at least I thought it did. All it did was leave him wheezing and laughing on the floor. Deciding to stop indulging him, I stomped to my bed.

" _Asshole!_ "

"Nicest asshole you'll ever meet," he groaned light-heartedly.

 _'What the hell's wrong with him!?'_ I thought to myself, furious for even remotely giving a damn about the man as I curled up in the mess of blankets.

"...I'll keep it outside, if you want..." My ears perked up at his voice as he picked himself up of the floor gingerly, climbing up to his own bunk. "The smokin'. I'll keep it outside."

"Do whatever you want; I don't care!" I muttered into my pillow. "And I'm serious! _Stop_ watching me!"

"Fine. I'll stop watchin' you officially... _Unofficially,_ though... Hehehe..."

"You are literally the worst person in this Academy ever. Of all time."

"Good night to you too, Argus."

**-END**


	7. THE TRUTH COMES OUT

THE TRUTH COMES OUT

_**-Joel Ambrose-** _

"Hey, Velvet, have you... Huh?"

I glanced up from the wall of text I'd been tackling for most of the last hour to find the Rabbit Faunus dozing off, face down on the table across from me. She was snoring lightly, ears twitching with each breath. To be honest, it was actually kind of cute, but judging by the looks the librarian was shooting at us, she wasn't of the same opinion. I decided to wake her up, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up groggily.

"Uh-wuh..." She stared at me for a few seconds blankly, at least until a sudden look of mortified realization crossed her face. "Oh my gosh! I-I'm so, so sorry!" she cringed, face bright red as she tried her best to avoid looking at me. "I can't believe I did that! I'm..."

She paused as I passed her a napkin, tapping the side of my chin smiling reassuringly. Somehow, the Faunus' face grew even redder as she dabbed at a small bit of drool on the side of her chin.

"It's alright. I'm not mad or anything. Was actually just about to ask you if you wanted to finish up for the night." I explained, gesturing to the piles of books and papers spread across the table. "We've been at it for hours. You alright?"

She nodded, a little too frantically that she may've liked. "I'm okay. Just...haven't been sleeping well. Been very busy."

"Sure..." I said slowly, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. Even her ears were drooping. "Don't overwork yourself. Aura can only sustain us for so long. Even Huntsmen need sleep, you know."

"I know. Like I said, I'm just... I'm fine," she said curtly, gathering up her work and making her way out the library. "I should get back. Coco's probably worried sick."

I scrambled after her, ignoring the angry shout from the librarian as I ran.

"At least let me make sure you get back to your room," I offered, moving forward as she swayed slightly. "Look if you need a break, I can handle more of the project. I don't have a problem with that."

"No, you... You don't have too..." the mage said tiredly. "It's just some other assignments that need doing. A few papers..."

"...Are these papers _yours?_ " I asked carefully, stepping in front of her.

I'd thought she was getting bullied for a while, now. My suspicion slowly grew after seeing a few signs of such behavior on my friend. I'd wanted to ask her about it, but whenever I did, she'd always just denied it or changed the subject.

_'Whatever this is, it's going way too far.'_

"What about your teammates? They can help you, too."

"I'm not bothering them with my problems..." she curtly protested, pushing past me and continuing down the corridor. I followed her, of course. "And why do you even care? I don't see why you should be bothered. I have it handled!"

"I'm trying to be your friend, Velvet," I stressed, holding my arm out at my side, as she glared back at me. "At least I thought I was. Friends help each other when they need it." We'd reached the dormitories, her room just ahead of us. "I can help, you just need to tell me...!"

" _How!?_ " Velvet blurted as spun around, stamping her foot on the stone floor. "How could you help!? Why would you even want to!? I'm just an animal to you people!" she cried pointing at the pair of floppy ears, tears falling down her face. "Some freak with funny ears that you can laugh at, or play with whenever you want! Some walking target for your sick little games, no matter how much I prove myself! Just _stay out of it!_ "

I gaped at the brown-haired girl, taken aback by her sudden outburst."Velvet, wait! I...!"

Too late, the girl had already retreated into her room, slamming the door behind her. I groaned as I leaned against the wall, rubbing my brow, angry at how helpless I felt.

 _'How else was she going to freakin' react? Dammit... If she's being treated this badly, no wonder she was terrified when we first met!'_ I smacked the back of my head against the wall. ' _Of course you knew how bad it could be... Not like you haven't done worse to people like her, Joel...'_

I sighed heavily, shaking my head as I began to make my way back down the corridor. I only stopped once to look back at Velvet's room. My eyebrows dipped sadly, wishing I could've helped her then and there. Tomorrow, maybe, but I probably wasn't going to be that lucky.

_'Tomorrow's going to suck...'_

* * *

Surprisingly, enough, the next morning actually held a surprising twist.

All of the first year teams were summoned to the amphitheater before classes in full combat gear. The large stage had been set up as it been for me and Max's fight, except the room wasn't dark. The only light came from a large Dust lamp illuminating the large stage from above.

Professor Goodwitch stepped out onto the stage briskly, staring at each of us with that same expression she used in class. From there, she proceeded to talk about something called the "Vytal Festival," that would apparently be held in a few months time. I'd only heard bits and pieces about it out in Bastion, but it certainly seemed like a big deal, judging from the reactions from Ben, Max, and the other surrounding students.

There would be cultural events celebrating the peace between the Four Great Kingdoms of Remnant, as well as festival games. The biggest draw, however, would be the Vytal Festival Combat Tournament, featuring students from all of the major Huntsman Academies from across the world.

" _Hell yeah!_ " Max exclaimed as she punched her fist into her palm, an excited look forming on her face as Goodwitch went on to explain the rules. "I've always wanted to enter! The best fighters from all around Remnant attend this thing!"

"I dunno..." Ben drawled, as he raised an eyebrow, looking around at the other students. "I think I'd rather stick with the food and celebration bits. Tournament duels aren't really my thing, considerin' I'm more of a 'hit you before you see me' kind of fighter." He gave me a friendly punch to the arm. "But I bet you'd be good for it, Psycho."

I gave him a non-commital shrug, shivering slightly as I felt Goodwitch's eyes linger on me. "Thinking I'll pass, thanks."

I didn't really care much. I'd had enough of competitions and gaining recognition back in Bastion, and had been sick of it then, as well. Plus, I could only assume that the teachers wouldn't endorse my participation, either, considering my background.

Max just stared at us both with a look of surprised annoyance, before shaking her head dismissively, muttering under her breath. "Eh, who cares? More heads for me to crack, anyway..." She glanced down at Reika, who stood a few inches away, rekindling her grin "What about you, Short Stuff? You up to fight in the big, bad tourney?"

"..." Reika didn't even turn to face her, instead raising a hand and flashing a couple signs her way in a fast flurry.

"You know I don't understand you when you do that, right?" she remarked, leaning down so she was eye level with the smaller girl. "What, you scared?"

"Actually, she was explainin' how you could better use that overconfidence of yours," Ben translated, barely holding in his laughter. " _Damn_ , girl! How'd I not know you could be that creative with one hand?"

"Oh, you little...!" The Faunus bared her teeth at the girl with a furious snarl, but a loud cough split the air, as Goodwitch glowered down at us with stern "tch," adjusting her glasses. Max seemed to shrink slightly, her ears flattening against her head.

"If you're all finished with your private conversations, I was about to choose volunteers for a small demonstration of a tournament style duel, after which I will answer any questions you might have as well, as discuss how battles, both assigned and arranged, will occur over the course of this year."

She glanced down at her Scroll for a few seconds, before making her selection, singling out Jaune and Cardin Winchester, the grade A asshole from Oobleck's History class, who also happened to be the leader of Team CRDL. More rumors over my time here had lead me to one conclusion about him: he was a bully. It was this fact that led me to believe that he was one of main suspects for people who'd hurt Velvet.

Still, poor Jaune. He had heart, I'd give him that. But I could easily tell that he didn't stand a chance in hell of coming out on top.

Ground rules were simple enough. No killing or maiming on threat of expulsion. Beyond that, you just fought until yours or your opponent's Aura was depleted, or until one of the combatants was disarmed or deemed unable to continue. Reasonable enough. Too bad Jaune had a lot of Aura in him, and Cardin liked to play with his food as much as my partner did.

* * *

In my mind, lunch couldn't come fast enough. Beyond the exciting announcement of the upcoming festival, classes somehow seemed to drag on even more so than usual. 'At l _east we got to keep our gear on,_ I mused, thankful to be rid of that neck trap for today, at least.

At the moment, I was seated next to Yang and Reika, who I'd managed to convince to eat with us again. The blonde brawler was to my left, while my teammate sat to my right, next to Blake. It was odd, seeing them together like this. Nora had us all wrapped up in a fanciful tale of how she and Ren had taken on dozens of Ursa and won, selling them for Lien. It was a pretty good story, too, despite Ren cutting in to change minor facts. Either way, Nora was on a roll.

Most of the table listening intently, except for Blake, who was nose deep in her new book, and Jaune, who was looked like he was still bristling over his loss, picking at his food with a glum expression on his face.

Poor guy. Goodwitch didn't have to be so harsh with him, basically calling him out for his lack of progress in front of everyone.

"Jaune? Are you feeling okay?" Pyrrha asked in a concerned tone after the story was done, causing the knight to perk up in his seat.

"Uh... Oh! Yeah, why?" he said. Damn, this guy was transparent. His Aura was remarkably effective at dealing with the bruises he'd sustained, sadly he just could't do the same with his attitude.

"Well... It's just that you seem a little... _NOT_ okay," Ruby noted, wringing her hands awkwardly, as Weiss sat next to her in her "combat dress," filling her nails.

"Yeah, man. If this is about what Goodwitch said after the match..." I asked, pointing my fork at him, "you did what you could, and no one can say you didn't...!"

Jaune cut me off by putting his hands up in an attempt to reassure us. "Eh, guys! I'm fine... Seriously! Look!" He gave us all a thumbs up, smiling awkwardly, almost believing the lie himself.

Sadly for him, none of us were too convinced. Reika even shook her head, as if disappointed.

 _"He has to know he's not fooling anyone with this one bit, right?"_ she asked me with her hands, pointing towards the blonde boy, who had resumed eating his food while glancing up every now and then to give us another forced smile.

"I'd be more afraid if he doesn't..." I replied shortly to the masked girl.

The mess hall was suddenly filled with the sounds of laughter. I looked over briefly, seeing that the laughter came from Team CDNL. Scowling, I lookrf away... before fully realizing what they had been doing. I turned my head around looking back in disbelief, something that my table took a notice of. Cardin's group had found a new target: Velvet. Seems like they were making fun of her ears. This only proved my previous suspicions. ' _CRDL was responsible for this_.' Frankly, I was ashamed of myself for not seeing it earlier.

"Son of a..." I hissed gripping my fork tightly, hands shaking. Yang saw this, and shot me a worried look.

"Jaune, Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school," Pyrrha noted, concern etched on her face, as Jaune stopped clenching his fist seconds before...

I wanted to go there, wanted to stop them. But then I shook my head furiously, remembering Velvet's angry face as I offered to help her the previous day. She hadn't wanted my help, then. And something told me that a mere few hours hadn't changed her mind. As much as I hated it, I had to respect her wishes. Still, it was a hard pill to swallow.

_'She wants me to stay out of... She wants me to stay out of it...'_

"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah!" Jaune dismissed her, shaking his head and laughing weakly. "He just likes to... mess around, you know? Practical jokes!"

"He's a bully," Ruby said curtly, face set.

"Asshole's a more accurate description," I muttered, glaring at them despite my best efforts. I could make out Velvet trying her best to ignore them.

_'Where the hell's her team!?'_

"Oh, please! Name one time he's 'bullied' me," he shrugged off, raising his hands to do a quotations gesture with his fingers. It was a sad sight to see how in denial he was.

"What about all of the times he slapped your books out of your hands in the hallway?" Ruby supplied.

"Or the time he set your shield off walking out of class?" I added, trying not to look irritated over CRDL's actions, whilst audibly clenching and unclenching my left fist, with tiny sparks crackling between my fingers.

"And remember when he shoved you into the rocket-propelled locker, and sent you flying?" Pyrrha reminded.

The Amazon had had to organize a search for him that had taken most of the day. I'd actually had to enlist Max's help in the hunt, as Reika had been with Goodwitch at the time. _'Still owe her another Grimm Studies paper for that one...'_

"Heh... Well, it wasn't _that_ bad. I didn't land too far from the school."

"Arc, he's being a huge jackass to you. And it bothers us that you're just letting him push you around," I interjected, growing more annoyed at his denial of the situation, despite his own feelings, as well as the mocking laughter of those bullies grating at my nerves.

"Jaune, you know if you need help, you can just ask," Pyrrha said leaning forward, putting a hand on his arm.

" _OOH!_ We'll break his legs!" Nora pronounced leaping up on the bench, grinning maniacally.

 _'Not a bad idea, now that I think about it,'_ I thought, turning back to my lunch. ' _Note to self: never get on Nora's bad side.'_

"Guys!" Jaune stood up, tray in hand looking at all of us. "Really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone," he reasoned, motioning over to where CRDL sat.

" _OOWW_! That _hurts_!" The sound of Velvet's cry came ringing out from behind me. Turning my head, I saw Cardin pulling one of Violet's long brown ears, laughing along with the rest of his team.

_'The **fuck** is that asshole doing!?'_

"Please, stop..." she begged, trying to pull her ears from Winchester's grip.

He only chuckled, unsympathetic to the girl's cries. "Haha! I told you they were real!"

As I heard this, my right hand slowly tightened over the plastic fork in it. I could feel my vision narrowing in disgust.

One of them, a guy with a light green mohawk in the middle of his shaved head, laughed shaking his head at the Faunus girl derisively. "What a _freak!_ "

That was when the fork snapped in my hands. _'Alright, **THAT'S IT!** ' _I slammed whatever was left of my fork onto the table with a loud bang that echoed through the cafeteria and made to stand up.

As I moved to leave, I felt both Reika and Yang grab onto my arms. "Joel, don't...!" Yang started, but I cut her off with a sharp glare, using her startled reaction to shake both of the girls' arms off.

"Don't you _dare_ try to stop me," I growled harshly, before making my way over to where Cardin sat.

 _'This is stupid and reckless, Ambrose. You can't lay a hand on them, or Ozpin'll have my ass back in prison by the end of the day,'_ the logical part of my mind screamed to me internally as I approached CDNL and Velvet. A particularly loud squeal of pain from the rabbit girl silenced that dissenting opinion within nanoseconds.

Drawing closer to the table, one of his teammates, the mohawk guy,00 Russell I think his name was, saw me coming out of the corner of his eye. He made the dumb decision to stand up trying to block my way, a sly grin on his face as if he thought he was being clever, like he thought he was unstoppable. I'd seen the same look a dozen times, usually followed by a knife to the... _'Okay, calm down...'_

"Do you want something, big guy?" he asked, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest.

_'Oh, if you had met me a few months ago, you little fucking twig...'_

I tried to walk around him, but he made the mistake of trying to block me as I tried to move further. This was a mistake, due to how he ended up tripping and falling flat on his face with an audible crunch as I swept by him, barely even touching him.

 _'Ozpin can't peg me if they end up hurting themselves on accident,'_ I reasoned, frowning heavily as Cardin continued to pull Velvet's ear.

I stopped right before him, and spoke with a loud and clear voice. "Let go of her ear, _NOW._ "

This certainly got his attention, as his eyes stared at me intently, looking away briefly to look back at his fallen partner. The girl managed to pull her ear away, cowering back down to the bench between us.

"Hey, man, I don't know what your problem is, but if you know what's good for _you_ , then you'd better back off, right now..." he threatened, standing up to me in his full height. He towered over me, being bigger and broader than I was...

 _'Not like it matters, anyway. I've fought people bigger than him, and still manged to put them into the ground. Besides, with all of that metal on him, taking him out with my Semblance will be child's... What? No, wait!'_ What the hell was I thinking? He didn't deserve to die for this. He and his team were assholes that deserved an ass kicking, maybe. But death?... No... I couldn't think like that. Not again. That wasn't me. Not anymore...

"What? Not gonna say anything, loser?" Cardin's voice shot out, dragging me away from my thoughts.

Shaking my head, my scowl relaxed somewhat, though my eyes were as narrowed as before, letting Winchester know that I wasn't here to play around. "Look. I'm only gonna say this to you once. Just back off, and leave her alone," I advised harshly, looking towards Velvet as she moved behind me. I could feel her shivering behind my back. "We're all Huntsmen here, and she's our senior. She deserves your respect."

"No. _We're_ Huntsmen," he countered, while motioning to his teammates, two of whom were currently picking their moaning friend off the ground as he tried to stem a bleeding nose. Their leader continued to gesture to a few others in the hall, before looking back at me. "All I see in front of me is a _freak_. Some animal, who doesn't..."

" _SHE..._ is a Huntress-in-training, like us. I just got done telling you to back off, Cardin. Don't make me repeat myself."

My interruption seemed to have only irked him further. His eyes narrowed at me, as he lowed his head to look directly into my eyes. "...You know what else I see? I see a punk who thinks he's some kind of hero, acting all high and mighty with your humble act. Well, guess what? I see you for what you are: a loser, just like your Faunus girlfriend, who needs to be put in his place."

I reacted by looking away briefly, shaking my head with an amused grin, before returning the scowl and taking a step forward. We were face to face. "I could say the same about you, Cardin... well not the hero bit, anyway." I still wasn't going to hit him, much as every defensive instinct was practically screaming at me to floor him and be done with it. If he decided to make a go for it, however... _'He started all of this by going too far with Velvet. My friends were also witnesses, too. If he attacks, I defend myself, and he'll be the one walking away. Well... not walking, I think.'_

He stood his ground admirably, not moving an inch, before grinning menacingly. "I always did hate looking at you in class. I hope you mind if I do a little rearranging to your..."

The bully stopped suddenly, eyes narrowing further, but not out of hostility. I arched an eyebrow at him, confused over his response.

"Wait a second..." he muttered, as stared at my face closely. He then backed away slowly, same curious gaze. "I know you."

"Well, we're in History together, so..."

"No, not that! I mean before I came to Beacon!" he spoke.

I scoffed at him. "Not likely. I'd remember running into someone like you. Of course, I can't deny the possibility of me forgetting a bastard like you on principle." I grinned as his face started to get redder, pissed off, most likely. "Listen, because I'm only going to say this one more time. _Back. Off._ " I warned with an even tone, before gently grabbing Velvet's arm. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

I gently dragged her along with me, focusing on getting her away as far from CDNL as possible. As I did, I could see from the corner of my eye that Cardin kept his eyes on my face, that inquisitive glint still in his eyes, but then widening before I'd even gone a few steps.

"Hold up, a sec!" he called, reaching out to tightly grab my left shoulder, one that was quickly removed as I let go of Velvet and shoved him back, my Aura flaring to the point my hair almost stood on end, sparks dancing along my arms.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you!?"

Winchester ignored my remark, brushing himself off as if I'd just dirtied his armor, leaning forward slightly as he looked me over again, making sure that he had good look of my face.

Finally, he spoke again, this time leaning back in shock. "Yeah... I remember you, now! I saw your face in the news, months ago!"

"Huh?" As soon as those words came out of his mouth the sparks died, every cell in body went numb. I even felt my jaw slacking in shock, my eyes widening in surprise as my mouth went dry trying to form words.

_'...No.'_

Cardin went on, rubbing his chin in thought. "Yeah... You were a bit scruffier, and you had bruises all over. But it was definitely you, no doubt about it..."

_'No... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nononononono, **NO!** '_

My mind started working again when I heard whispers begin to spread through the hall. Everyone's eyes that had turned to at our confrontation were now directly at me. My mind raced, coming up with and throwing out solutions to stop him from saying any thing further.

' _I can knock him out. Quick blow to the head'll shut him up... No, I can't do that. People will just ask more questions, and he'll just spread it later! Damn it!'_

In the end, my mind came up with nothing. I was left to stand there helplessly, unable to prevent what was about to happen.

"Oh man, I still can't believe it!" he remarked with disbelief. "What's a former Trapper doing hanging around Beacon!?"

The silence that followed after he said those words was almost audible across the hall. Trapper: a word that had become synonymous with bigoted assassins or thugs, in the eyes of Humans. To the Faunus, however, it equated more to monsters or boogeymen, terrifying in ways even worse than the Creatures of Grimm. And everyone had heard Cardin call me by that word.

"...What?" I heard Velvet mutter under her breath behind me, eyes like saucers.

Cardin's face lit up at the response his words had received. "C'mon, you animals have T.V., too, don't you? It was all over the news when it happened! They said that they'd finally managed to grab one of you Trapper guys for the first time!"

I was so lost in thought, practically paralyzed, that I didn't see Cardin wrap his arm over my left shoulder. "Hey, its alright, buddy. You deserve another chance," he sneered, as he peered over at the shivering Faunus. "I mean, you were just dealing with those criminal freaks from the White Fang, right? Its not like you were actually doing anything wrong. You were just paying them back for what they do to us, right?"

"No, I..." I gritted my teeth, senses returning to me quickly, as a wave of fury engulfed me. "I said _DON'T TOUCH ME!_ "

I roughly yanked myself away from Cardin, before lunging my left hand forward to grip the front of his armor, slamming him into the empty table beside us. Cardin's faced had changed to one of fright, and that alone, along with collective gasps of shock around me, specifically from my friends' table, is what snapped me back to my senses. _'Not anymore...'_

Trying to keep my temper under control, I hissed at CDNL's leader. "Y'know, I'm not entirely surprised that you'd know something like that... But since you seem so interested, I assume you also know a thing or two about Trappers. Specifically... their methods. So, let's say that I was this Trapper you're talking about. If that were the case... then wouldn't it be very stupid to try and piss him off?" I let the words sink in, watching as his pupils dilated in fright, before sending him a smirk. "Fortunately for you, I'm not a Trapper anymore."

I then raised my right hand. Concentrating my Aura calmly this time, as sparks of electricity began to arc between my fingers. Winchester eyed them carefully. "Since I know that you tend not to listen in class, I'm gonna say this in a way that gets through to your thick skull. Stay away from Velvet, and the other Faunus. No more teasing, no more pulling on people's ears. No more bullying. _Period._ " I said calmly, staring directly into his eyes, before letting him go, and easing up my _Conduction._

Cardin let out sigh of relief, tenderly adjusting his collar, before sneering at me. "Whatever. I'll stay out of your way if want to keep them all to yourself. I understand."

"What are you...?" I began to ask. However, I visibly, tensed as he took a step closer to me, condescending grin plastered on his face.

"But let me make one thing perfectly clear to you: you're no hero. You can deny it all you want, but I know what I saw. The Trapper they sentenced was _you._ So you can go on with your speeches about respect, and with your humble high and mighty attitude all you want. All it does is prove that everything I've been sayin' about was right. You're nothing but a hypocrite... Ambrose, right?" he sneered victoriously. "Hell, by your standards, you're even worse than me! I may be a dick to the Faunus, but at least I never _killed_ anything that wasn't a Grimm..."

My fury had returned in full force, ignited by his stinging words. It took every ounce of willpower from the logical part of my mind to keep me from forcing my hand. My clenched fists shook as I addressed the bully one last time. "Cardin... Leave... _Now._ "

"Hmph, have it your way. See you around... Trapper," he jeered as he pushed past me, laughing loudly as he did so. Dove and Sky helped Russell up to his feet, and followed after their leader, shooting me nervous looks as they passed me by, the blue one practically jumping as I shot him a deadpan stare.

I was left me standing there in the middle of the crowded room, taking deep breaths in order to calm myself down.

_'Way to go, Joel. You **really** handled that one.'_

Taking a deep breath, I looked up slowly, immediately regretting it as I saw the eyes of every student on me. I saw people whispering to each other, glancing at me from the corner of their eyes. Others shook their heads at me, some even glaring and snarling at me. The looks that got my attention, however, were the ones looking back in fear, belonging to those of Faunus origin.

Shaking my head, I remembered the reason I'd involved myself in the first place. I turned around quickly to check of my brown haired friend. "Are you...!"

"Is it true?..." she interrupted, big brown eyes staring at me in a strange way, as if for the first time. "Was Cardin telling the truth?... Are you one of them? A T... A T-Trapper?"she asked, her body shivering from just uttering the word.

"Velvet... C'mon, I.."

"Is it _true,_ Joel!?" she repeated, tone more firm this time.

I could sense the glares from before, other Faunus students and a few Humans getting up from their seats. I looked around the room, feeling the heat of their gazes on me. In my mind, I felt like I was back in my cell, detached from the world around me with only my own shadow to judge me. Only this time, I was exposed for everyone to see.

Looking back at my friend, I saw nothing but a pleading expression on her face. But her eyes had something else in them: growing terror. That feeling seeped into me, as growing dread coursed through me, my mind wondering what would happened if I told her the truth about me. That I was responsible for the deaths of many of people of her race. But there was nowhere for me to hide. No walls for cover, no bushes, and no secret pasts to hide behind. I was out in the open.

The truth was all out in the open.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. "I... Yes... It's true... I was one of them..." I said hesitantly, heart sinking at the confession. It sank even further when I saw her reaction. She had gasped, hands covering her mouth, while her pupils dilated as tears began to flow down her cheeks. "B-but I'm not anymore!" I added, trying to assure the girl. "I've left that behind, _I swear!_ I'm trying to start over..."

I reached out towards her, but as soon as I did, she flinched back, eyes widening further in terror. I gasped at her reaction, feeling a great sense of hurt from it, before I actually stared down at the outstretched hand for a moment, the one I'd just threatened Cardin with.

I lowered my hand, looking up at the Rabbit Faunus with a pleading look in my eyes. "No! I... I wasn't going to... I _wouldn't...!_ "

The girl continued to shake her head, eyes fully on me. "No... Please, no..."

My eyes widened in both shock and hurt, my whole body numb from seeing her reaction. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder to look back at my friends' table. Most of JNPR had the same shocked look on their faces. Yang and Reika had similar expressions, that latter only being able to be seen through her eyes. Ruby was surprised as well, though there was also a small hint of confusion present. The only two different ones were Blake and Weiss. As soon as our eyes fell on each other, Blake had tensed, leaning slightly away from my direction. Weiss' look was the harshest of them all, as she gave me a full on glare as if I were scum on the bottom of her heel, shaking her head at me as she sent it my way.

I had expected to receive this sort of reaction from them. Still, it didn't make it any less painful.

I bowed my head in shame. "I'm... I'm sorry, Velvet..." I whispered apologetically to Velvet loud enough for her to hear. I raised my head to look at her, a sad grin forming on my face. "Cardin should leave you alone for now... At least a while... Anyway, take care of yourself. And... I'm sorry I turned out to be a huge disappointment..."

I turned around quickly, no longer brave enough to hear her response. I strode towards the set of large double doors at the entrance, when a wet piece of food impacted painfully against the side of my face, staining my gear and hair. Gasps came from my friends' table, but I didn't pay them much attention.

I slowly turned my head toward the direction it came from, and found that the shot came from a dark-skinned Panther Faunus, due to seeing his bright yellow eyes and ears on his head. He'd been glaring at me previously, but as soon as our eyes had met, he reeled back in fear, like I was gonna strike him down then and there. I quickly looked away gritting my teeth. My only goal at that moment was to leave the space as quickly as physically possible.

"Ambrose..." muttered a voice suddenly, casing me to look up.

I caught the sight of Ben and Maxine standing at the doorway. Ben stood there awkwardly, seeming nonplussed, while Max had a blank expression on her face. Our eyes met, her neutral reddish-brown and my defeated blue. I held her gaze for a few more seconds, before making my way out of the room, her eyes following me as I passed by silently.

 _'What was I hoping to gain coming here?... Friends? A second chance?... What a thought...'_ I chided myself as I shook my head dejectedly. ' _I was better off rotting in that cell... It's where I belong.'_

* * *

_**-Yang Xiao-Long-** _

"Well..." I said, breaking the stoney silence that had fallen over our table following Joel's exit from the room "That was definitely something unexpected..."

I looked beside me where Reika sat, a confused expression on her face.

"I can't believe it..." Pyrrha muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "I would never have believed someone like Joel would be capable of being involved with such deplorable people... He never seemed like a bad person."

"Of course he didn't. He never 'seemed' like anything. Criminals are experts at hiding their intentions from others," Weiss declared haughtily, puffing her chest out. "I've always known there was something off about that boy."

I noticed Reika bristling at the heiress' words, and, I had to admit, I wasn't feeling much better. "Why do you say that? Was it because he never scraped, bowed, or showed proper respect to the great Weiss Schnee!?" I retorted angrily, derailing the heiress. "'Cause if that's the mark of a true criminal, then, damn, you need to choose your friends better."

"What's a Trapper?"

We all turned to face my young, red-hooded sister, who sat with her eyes fixed on the door, where Joel's other teammates stood awkwardly. ' _Guess they didn't know, either...'_ "

"I mean I've heard the word before, but why's everyone so freaked out about it? Is it a bad thing?" she inquired honestly.

"You dolt! How could you not be aware of something like that!?" Weiss gawped at Ruby in disbelief. "It's not like we haven't had it explained to us in class for Professor Oobleck's project!"

"I wasn't paying attention," the younger girl confessed, turning as red as her hood with embarrassment. "Besides, you said you'd handle the complicated history parts."

"That doesn't mean you just get to ignore it!" she snapped back.

"Leave her alone, Weiss. The Red Hand were never really active where we grew up. And I'd be surprised if Ruby's ever opened a newspaper in her life," I said, coming to Ruby's defense. "Of course she doesn't know much about them."

"I've heard about them!" Ruby spoke up. "I just don't know what a Trapper's supposed to be. Why are they so scary?"

"Trapper is the term used to describe the Red Hand's most brutal shock troopers..." Blake revealed as she turned in her seat to face our flustered leader. "They're supposedly ex-Huntsmen trained to wipe out White Fang cells by whatever means necessary." She examined the space where Joel had sat only minutes prior. "If he was one of them..." she whispered, her eyes narrowing to amber colored slits.

"But he's still the same guy, right?..." I gazed around at my friends' faces, imploring them to see reason. "I mean we've known him for weeks, now, and has he ever given us any reason to doubt him?" I turned to Pyrrha and the rest of JNPR. "Remember when he helped you guys track down Vomit Boy after Cardin launched him into the Emerald Forest?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah! Who knows how long I would've been stuck out there if he hadn't gotten his partner to help out," he recalled, before giving out a short squeak as Weiss shot him a withering look that would have made Goodwitch proud.

"I don't believe... Are you guys actually trying to _defend_ his actions!?" Weiss questioned disbelievingly.

"No! I just..." I faltered slightly as Blake cut in sharply.

"Did you know about this, Yang?"

"Of course not! Why do you think he would tell me anything like this?"

"You spent most of last weekend together. And you also said that he opened up to you a little," my partner pointed out.

"We cleaned up the room a bit, and helped put in a replacement table for the one Nora and I broke from our arm wrestling match!" I told, tapping my finger on the shiny new tabletop for emphasis. "Beyond a few bits about his family, the only things we talked about were what we would rather be doing, and brainstorming on how to help me sneak out to the concert. He's only ever been helpful!"

Reika gave me a grateful nod. ' _Damn, this is her leader we're talking about. This has gotta be harder for her than on us.'_ I gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"Helpful to you, maybe, but I still can't see why that wouldn't be...!" Weiss muttered under her breath darkly, before I slammed down on the table, eyes blazing red, sending a spiderweb of cracks across the wood, and causing everyone to jump in surprise along with every other student nearby.

"In case you haven't forgotten, Weiss, _HE_ was the only one who stood up to Cardin, and helped that girl back there! Were any of you going to!?" I snapped, looking around at each of them in turn, nodding as their eyes avoided mine. "Didn't think so! Despite what people are saying, Joel's proven himself to be a good person, or at the very least he's trying to be! I think he deserves the right to _at least_ explain himself!" I got up, tray in hand, and quickly followed after Joel, with his mute teammate following shortly behind. "Do you mind helping me track your leader down?"

* * *

_**-Benjamin Carson-** _

"You think that Cardin guy was telling' the truth?" I asked carefully, as I glanced at the Dog girl sitting across from me, her eyes fixed on the tray in front of her. "About Psycho, I mean..."

"Why would he lie?..." she growled bitterly, pushing the food away from her.

 _'Well, this sucks...'_ I thought gazing around at the rest of the hall. It had only been about an hour since the revelation, and the other students were already shooting us wary looks, keeping their distance. _'Guess no one wants to be seen sittin' with the racist bastard's teammates...'_

"So, what do we do now?" Max asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"About Ambrose, I mean. Your partner already ran off with that blonde chick with the rack that was shouting about him. Do we try and track him down, too?" Maxine asked while playing idly with her knife.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. _'Bitch's actually givin' a shit about her partner... Will the wonders never cease?...'_

"You sure you wanna do that? No offense, but this kinda affects you more than me, I'd think."

"Why? Because of what I am?" she shot back, her hair bristling slightly as the knife clattered on the floor beside her. "Is that it?" she groaned, putting her head on the table as scratching at her ear absently. "I had some idea it was bad. I could smell blood on him; a lot of it Faunus. But he hasn't tried to kill _me_ yet, has he?"

"More like the other way around, honestly, though I guess that explains why you were so hostile at first."

"Nah. I just didn't like his personality much. Likes to end things too quickly. Thought he needed to loosen up," the Faunus shrugged. "In a fight we work decently enough together, staying out of each other's way while we do our own thing, and that's about it."

"So you don't care?" I asked, before noticing a burly fellow coming closer with what appeared to stripes across his cheeks, and a shock of wild orange hair. He was wearing the school's boys uniform.

_'Another Faunus. **Ooh,** this should be good.'_

"Heads up," I warned. She leaned back, mouth curving into a pained grimace as she noted the student.

"Great... Knew I smelled something shitty," she groaned, flashing her teeth at the newcomer in that way she did whenever something annoyed her, which was quite often, actually.

 _'Wonder what he did?'_ I wondered, as the orange-haired man paused at the aggressive display, giving us both a short bow. Mine seemed rather forced, but I let it slide.

"Miss Argus. Nice to see you again..." he started, but paused as she turned away quickly, dragging her food tray back in front of her.

"Sod off, Kaplan. I already told you that I want nothing to do with the whole 'Faunus Rights' thing you guys have going on campus. It's not my thing."

"Personable as ever, I see..." As he gave her a toothy smile, I noticed a few more fangs than usual present in his mouth "Cute, but that isn't why I'm here. I'm actually here to discuss your...!"

"Oh, let me guess. You heard about our team's leader, I take it? Must've spread across the whole school, by now," I interjected loudly, drawing his attention away from Max.

"Yes, actually. Though I'd prefer it if you stayed out of this matter. It doesn't concern you."

_'Ooh, someone's feelin' a bit high and mighty...'_

"You know, it's more courteous to actually ask someone to leave nicely, if you wanna talk about something in private..." I chided, playfully wagging a finger in the pompous student's direction. "But if you asked nicely, however, I might actually take you up on that consideration. Maybe a 'please,' or a 'do ya mind?' Those always seem to work."

He stepped towards me, his face contorted as I readied myself for a fight.

"Actually, Kaplan, he's on my team, as well, so anything you say to me, bullshit or otherwise, you'll be saying to the both of us," Max spoke up snidely, stopping us in our tracks, lip twitching as the tiger scoffed indignantly. "Otherwise, you can either leave us alone, or I _make_ _you..._ " A faint reddish glow began to outline her body, the knife she'd been playing with earlier rising off the floor on its own, and back into her hand with a snap.

 _'I've seen her Semblance in trainin' and sparrin' matches, but that still freaks me out.'_ Sometimes, I forgot that the sadistic Faunus didn't exactly need her axe to tear something apart. And judging from the flash of fear in this Kaplan guy's eyes, he understood that quite well.

"Very well, if you'd prefer him present," the tiger conceded, standing up straighter than before in an attempt to save face in front of some curious nearby students. "Argus, I'll be straightforward-"

"Oh, hear that, Bitch? He's gonna be _straight_ with us! Oh, boy!"

A fork suddenly flew by my head, missing me by an inch, before embedding itself in the table behind me. "Shut it, Carson!... Well? Out with it!"

"As I was saying... many members of our Faunus community here at Beacon have expressed concerns for their safety on campus. Understandable, considering there is an admitted..."

"Accused!" I corrected, before a spoon impacted against the side of my head painfully.

"...Anti-Faunus terrorist attending classes," Kaplan finished, pointedly ignoring my interruption. "We have already compiled a petition, with signatures from many Faunus students, as well some Humans who support us, for the school's Headmaster to oust this scum from the Academy's halls. Frankly, we already have enough to worry about, what with bullying and other abuses."

"...Y'know, it's strange. _I_ haven't experienced any bullying for quite a while. now. In fact..." Max said in an innocent tone. "I wonder if that has anything to do with me accidentally breaking that one boy's fingers in our first sparring match, for laughing at my ears, probably? Perhaps if that Bunny had stood up for herself, earlier..."

"Be that as it may..." the Tiger boy raised a hand, interrupting her mid-rant. "Your leader presents a grave danger to us that cannot be ignored. And your support in this matter would be most appreciated."

I laughed loudly, shocking the large Faunus. "Okay, so you basically want Maxine, here, to screw over her partner and team leader, who I don't recall havin' done anything too bad as of yet, simply because he _MIGHT_ be dangerous, and sign somethin' to get him kicked out."

"That isn't as... eloquent a description..."

 _'Sounded pretty 'eloquent' enough for me...'_ I thought with a derisive chuckle that I didn't bother to hide.

"...But yes. That is the general idea." He turned back to Max with a serious expression on his face. "You've likely heard of the abuses the Red Hand and their Trappers have committed against innocent Faunus, yes? Tell me you aren't really comfortable with the idea of sleeping in the same room as one, now that you know what he is!?"

"Did the bunny girl sign it?" Max asked suddenly, throwing the Tiger Boy off slightly.

"I'm... sorry?"

"The girl who Ambrose helped... Did she sign your little petition?"

His brow furrowed slightly as he shook his head. "No, Miss Scarlatina has not signed it yet. The trauma of the event is likely still..."

"Oh, I get it. So if the supposed 'victim,' the one the guy you're trying to oust stuck up for, won't even sign your paper, then his teammate is the next best thing, right!?"

"...So I take it your answer is a 'no,' then?..." Kaplan stated more than asked, fist clenching loud enough for me to hear the creak of his knuckles. "Despite the fact that he's more than likely murdered a good number of our people...!"

"You know, I don't respect a lot of Humans. They haven't really given me much reason to, even though my mother was one."

I looked over at Max in surprise. _'Wait, what!? She's a half-breed?'_ Couldn't say I was expecting it, and neither did Kaplan, I suppose, if the sneer he gave her was anything to go on. _'Would explain why she's more comfortable than most Faunus around Humans, as well as her temperament.'_

Half-breeds weren't known for being well-treated by Humans, and even Faunus once they knew what they were. Argus probably had to fight tooth and nail her whole life to get where she is.

"Despite that, Professor Ozpin gave me a chance to attend this Academy. And if he says Joel Ambrose is fit to be at this school, than I'll trust his word over any prejudices from you, or anyone else."

_'Damn... Maxine...'_

" _Fine!_ " the larger Faunus spat out bitterly, looking down his nose at the still-seated girl. "If you want to protect that murdering partner of yours, then fine! Be my guest! I wouldn't expect anything less from a cross breed like yo- _Ack!_ "

His insult ended in a choked squeak, as I snatched the knife from Max's hand, and held it squarely against his jugular in my left hand. He tried to snatch my hand away, but my right arm latched onto the limb, his eye bulging as he struggled against my unyielding metal grip. He was pretty strong, actually, exerting a lot of force trying to free himself. But to me? It felt as if I was wrestling with a child.

"Let me go, you damn Hu...!" I cut him off by holding the knife closer, his Aura the only thing keeping it off of his skin at this point.

"Now, is that any way to talk to someone in this situation?" I chided, sounding like a disapproving parent.

 _'Just like Ma used to...'_ Well... not quite. Old buzzard would've probably had him pissing himself with but a word.

"Kaplan, was it?... Now, I can understand why you think you'd have some grievance towards Ambrose, so I'll let all of the less than appraisin' things you've said about him slide. However..." My arm's grip began to tighten around the Faunus' arm, even causing the man to wince in pain. "This lady here has been _more_ than cordial with you, for someone with her attitude, at least. So I think you should apologize for the nasty thing you just said, and make a quick exit while you still have your tail between your legs... Sound good?"

Kaplan growled, reaching out with his free arm as orange Aura spreading across his body. "You oppressive Human scum! I'll- _AH!_ "

I twisted his arm, slamming him face first onto the table. " _Wrong answer!_ " I slammed his head down again with greater force this time. "And the idiot's next words are gonna be...?" I asked him with a cheery voice laced liberally with venom.

"I... I-I'm sorry..." Kaplan whimpered, voice muffled.

"You ain't talkin' to me, pal," I reminded him swiftly, twisting his arm back further, thus eliciting another cry of pain.

"I-I'm sorry, Miss Argus! I'm sorry! _I'm sorry!_ "

"Good boy." I then slid him across the table, making him fall off the edge and onto the ground, where he laid moaning. A few other Faunus came over and helped drag him away, all of them shooting me dirty looks.

"Welp, that deed's done!" I sighed contentedly, sitting down next to my teammate, her face twisted in a look of shock and amusement. "You gonna finish that steak?"

"Carson... Just... _Damn..._ " she whispered, looking back at the humiliated Tiger Faunus. "You didn't have to do that, y'know. I could've handled it."

"Sorry. He was pissin' me off, anyway. I didn't like how he was talkin' to ya. Plus..." I gave her a toothy smile and a wink, tossing her the knife. "If I didn't do it, you'd have blown this whole section of the room apart."

She let out a short giggle as she caught the blade in midair, right before her expression fell. "You know what that all looked like though, right? I doubt you'll be very popular with the ladies after they hear that you beat up a Faunus."

I shrugged, eyes darting out at the rest of the students, noticing that there were now a lot of empty tables between us and anyone else. "Ah, he deserved it, and my rep would've taken a hit regardless, considerin' I'm already on the Big, Bad Trapper's team."

"Still... Thanks," Max replied, gazing at the knife in her hands before putting it back on her tray with a sigh. "I suppose we better go track down Ambrose, and kick his ass back into gear, now that we've done so much to defend him."

"We will, at that. Oh, and uh..." I flicked her forehead with a metal finger, causing her to wince. "That's for hittin' me with a spoon."

"God, you're such an ass!"

-END


	8. WE'RE A TEAM

WE'RE A TEAM

_**-Joel Ambrose-** _

_'Oh no, you don't!'_ I mentally barked, shifting around to catch the bladed appendage of one of the droids as it tried to sneak up behind me with the _Storm Circuit's_ wire, the force pushing me down on one knee.

"Damn it..." I gritted through my teeth as I pulled the wire taut, forcing the blade away with the robot stumbling back towards me. " _Damn it!_ "

Cardin's words and Velvet's look of fear burned itself to the forefront of my mind, as I delivered an Aura-powered kick that caved in the droid's chest cavity, sending it crashing away from me to the floor, only to see it replaced by two more. I let out an angry snarl as I knocked the next one's blade away with one of _Circuit's_ blades, while stabbing the other in the face plate in a shower of sparks.

I'd thought that things could change... That saying enough was enough would wipe away three years of violence and instinct...

What pissed me off the most wasn't the fact that Cardin had let people know that I had been a viscous killer. Hell, it was only a matter of time. What pissed off the most was that he he had been right: I _was_ a hypocrite. I thought back to the scene in the dining hall where I'd seriously considered harming, or even killing those guys. I stepped back, chuckling to myself darkly as the remaining half dozen drones surrounded me in a loose circle, stepping over the wrecks that had once been their allies. Scrap metal, the whole lot of them...

_'Heh... I talk all noble to Max about reigning in her violent tendencies... But who the hell am I to judge? This is the only thing I'm good for... Tearing the enemy the hell apart.'_

I let loose a loud roar, flaring my Aura to it's limits, and feeling the power radiate under my skin, as I released a wave of electricity that sent the drones reeling from the shocks. Circuits burst as the energy overloaded their delicate systems, sending them down to the arena floor in a heap of scrap. My Aura faded away slowly as I fell to my knees, panting hard as the smell of ozone burned my nostrils. I dropped my weapon with a clatter of metal, while my muscles twitched from the aftershock of my overload, my hair standing on end.

 _'I've gotten rusty... Used to be able to pull that off, no problem...'_ I mentally chided myself.

A short intake of breath from across the room near the entrance caught my attention. Trapper senses came in handy for something, I supposed. "Who's there!?" I snapped, getting to my feet quickly in a defensive stance, as Yang and Reika stepped out from around the doorway.

"Hey, Joel, uh..." Yang waved awkwardly, eyes darting from the charred training bots and back to me, eyes widening. "Wow, you're..." I saw that her eyes had looked down in my direction. I raised a confused eyebrow for about a second, before remembering after that I'd stripped down to just a pair of sweats for the practice, exposing my bare chest, and revealing all of my scars. For this, Reika gave her a stern side punch.

"...Sorry," I said simply, quickly moving towards my spare t-shirt, slipping it over my head quickly.

Yang merely waved her arms in front of her. "It's fine! Really!" she said quickly, giving me a small smile. "It's just surprising. I mean, I knew you had a few scars from the glimpses I get during sparring matches." She gave me a sly wink, making my cheeks slightly flush red. "You do have a bit more muscle than I thought, too."

"...So what's this?" I asked, coughing lightly as I sat down cross legged, looking around at the drones while purposefully avoiding their gazes. "You guys come to break ties formally, or is this the bit where you get angry and rip into me about not telling you sooner?... Honestly expected it from Max, but not you, Reika."

A concerned look crossing the brawler's face. "So Cardin was right, wasn't he?..." Yang muttered sadly. "You really _were_ one of them. One of those Trapper guys." It was more a statement, not a question.

"I'm not going to try and deny, it if that's what you're wondering..." I shot back, scratching at me hair absently. "It might take a bit of digging on your part, but I'm certain you can find the article detailing my arrest. Not a very flattering picture... but it's me, nonetheless."

Reika shook her head, flashing me a few hand signs, repeating it over and over. " _So what!? Ben and I are criminals, too! It changes nothing, now!"_

I shook my head, looking back at the mute with a stern gaze. "Maybe for you guys, but you weren't the subject of nightmares for an entire race of people, were you!? People aren't going to forget what I did!... And they aren't going to look kindly on those that associate themselves with me..." I spat bitterly.

It was then that I noticed Yang moving forward, so I raised a hand to stop her. "Yang, don't come near me, right now."

"You've still got a bit of food on you from earlier. What, did you change into some sort of horrible monster since lunch!? Who cares what they think!?" Yang argued vehemently, stepping onto the stage and striding towards me intently, eyes shifting from violet to red. "What does it matter what other people say about you!?"

My expression actually became genuinely hesitant. "No, Yang, I'm serious! Back off, right n...!" I tried to explain, looking at Reika, hoping she'd help me stop her. She must've also sensed what was about to happen, but was too far away to help, as Xiao Long reached out for my arm.

_'Oh shit... She'll kill me if I try to stop her, or run...'_

"Oh no, you don't! I'm not letting you mope around just because you...!" The moment her hand made contact with my skin, she flinched violently, as every golden hair on her head stood on end like a shimmering cloud.

 _'Uh oh...'_ I remembered one time in combat training, when one of the other students had accidentally taken a strand of hair off of Yang's mane. Needless to say, the beatdown that occurred afterward was... terrifying. Practically the embodiment of the phrase "hell hath no fury, like a woman scorned."

_'I'm dead... I'm so **fucking** dead...'_

"Yang, I, uh..." I stammered out weakly, as she retracted her hand away slowly, hair falling back in a disheveled mess around her face, which... actually had an uncharacteristically blank look to it. "Hehe... Sorry..." I shrugged my shoulders, giving her an uneasy smile.

I noticed from the corner of my eyes that Reika was clenching her sides, eyes watering as she glanced at Yang, who blew a stray strand of hair from her mouth. _'Oh, laugh it up, why don't you!? You're not the one who's gonna be on the receiving end of a slaughter, after all!'_ I glared back at her as I took an unsteady step backwards.

"Joel... What was that?" Yang said, voice eerily calm as she stared me full in the face. The only sign of what was coming was a small nerve twitching above her right eye, and I didn't even need to bring up the fact that her eyes had stayed red.

"I... I-I tried to warn you!..." my voice quaked, a grinding noise from her fingers entering my eyes, as dug deeply into her leather gloves. "T-the energy my Aura produces travels through me before I let it loose... Uh, high voltage stuff like what I did to the drones can leave me a bit charged for a few minutes after, while the dampeners try and deal with it."

"...What?" she questioned evenly, cocking her head to the side. Reika started to quickly back away from the blonde girl while she was distracted.

 _'You could've stopped this, damn it!'_ I practically screamed with the look I was giving her.

"R-right..." I continued. I then held out my arm, pointing to a series of small white scars that ran along my both of them, and up to my chest. They were different from the others in that they were more surgical, rather than you get from wounds taken in a fight. "I redirect and absorb the voltage just fine with my Semblance. However, if I push it too far, and my Aura can't keep up, it can build up, and really damage my body. So my brother came up with a way of using Dust crystals and other tech to absorb the ambient...!"

"Simpler, faster explanation please," she snapped while brow twitched.

"Right! Of course. Uh, long story short, whenever I do anything big like this, the crystals siphon off the energy to limit the damage to my body... Side effects included..." I finished lamely as I pointed at her hair meekly.

"Oh?... So it's _not_ your fault, then?" she asked in that same eerily calm tone, twirling a frazzled lock in between her fingers as she stared at it sadly. "I mean, if you harmed my hair on purpose, in some attempt to keep me away..."

"N-no! No! Nononono! Of course not! It was an accident! Complete accident, I swear!" I vehemently reassured, hoping that it would be what saved me from the pounding at her hand.

She said nothing for a moment, before smiling back at me while nodding her head. "Oh... Well, that's good."

I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that I had avoided facing her wrath. It was a short respite, however, as I soon found myself sprawled on the floor, seeing stars while my jaw felt like it had been hit by a freighter-truck.

"Now back to my point, it doesn't matter what other people think of you. What does matter is what your _friends_ think of you!" she continued, her eyes finally returning to the lilacs she had been born with.

"And what _do_ they think of me?" I shot back, sitting back up massaging my jaw. "Because judging from the looks I got before I left, I can easily assume that not everyone took it well." Looking at the hesitant expressions they gave me confirmed my suspicions.

"Well, Ruby and JNPR still think you deserve a chance..." Yang spoke up, looking towards Reika who nodded in assent. "Blake seems a bit nervous, though. And Weiss is... well..."

"Being Weiss," I finished up for her, rubbing off the bit of food that Yang had mentioned.

"Yeah... But they'll come around! It's not like you're murdering Faunus in the halls, or anything."

" _You also saved the Bunny girl. You didn't have to do that,"_ Reika added, fingers flashing quickly. " _Those who matter will see that."_

The image of Velvet cringing away from me flashed through my head again, forcing me to look away from them as I stood up. "And what if I told you nothing's changed? That for a second, I had _seriously_ considered really hurt those assholes!? I mean, the entire point of me coming here was so I could get a new start, and forget how I used to be! To move forward with my life, and actually _help_ people!"

"So you wanted to fuck up some douchebags for being fucking douchebags for a split second," Max's voice rang out in the arena, as both she and Ben entered the room, the sharpshooter's arms tucked behind his head, while the Faunus eyed the destroyed robots with an appreciative hum. "Least you held back. I sure as shit wouldn't have. Hell, I'd have put that Winchester guy through the fuckin' table, and not bat an eye." Her brow furrowed slightly, as she tapped her lip with a long fingernail. "You know... I could probably rig up a locker bomb for him, actually. He and his whole team seem like they deserve one."

I looked at the Dog Faunus briefly over my shoulder, before fully turning to face her. "Wait a second... Are _you_ the one who's been rigging those things up!? What the hell, Max!?" I chided as gaped at her. I'd heard that some students had been getting nasty surprises in their lockers and backpacks, recently. Namely those of the explosive variety. Goodwitch had been spitting acid for weeks trying to figure out the culprit.

It was then that I came to another disturbing realization. _'Oh shit, she can make **bombs!?** '_

"So I enjoy a bit of playful anarchy! Sue me, Ambrose," she dismissed as she gave me a wide grin, while Ben just shook his head in amazement. "So who's the new girl?" she asked, gesturing over to Yang.

"My name's Yang. Yang Xiao Long from Team RWBY." Yang stuck out a hand towards the Faunus, which she hesitantly accepted. "I'm a friend of Joel's."

"Friend, huh?... Maxine Argus," my partner said cheerily pointing a thumb to her chest, looking the brawler up and down, lingering on the disheveled mane. "Heh, nice hair." I saw Yang's eye's shift color again for a split second, but she remained calm. I did note, however, that Max had grimaced as she pulled her hand away, massaging her hand gingerly as she did so.

"Nice to meet you, Max. Joel's told me a lot about you." She glanced then over at Ben, who flashed her a winning smile and a salute.

"Benjamin Carson. A friend of Psycho's is a friend of mine, Blondie," the sharpshooter introduced.

Yang looked back at me and Reika with a confused expression on her face. Reika just put her face in her hands, her version of a sigh while I just sighed.

"He does nicknames. You get used to it, after a while. Mine's Psycho, and I guess you're Blondie."

"But that's so generic!" Yang pouted. "I mean I've had people call me that forever!"

"Why fix what's not broken?" Ben laughed, clapping his hands together. "Plus, it was either that or Jugs. Or maybe..."

"Blondie's fine!" she cut him off quickly. "Anyway, I've seen you around. My sister's obsessed with your arm." She motioned towards the metal appendage.

At this, Ben perked up, a sly grin forming on his face. " _Really?_ And who's your sister? She wouldn't happen to be your _twin_ , would she?"

"Her name's Ruby Rose. Young girl, excitable, wicked fast?"

Hearing her description, the rogue's grin fell into a disappointed frown. "Oh... You mean _Red..._ Yeah, I know her. She jumped me the first time I was changin' my bandages. Smart kid. Helped me calibrate my hand after Bitch, here, smacked it around with her axe." Maxine growled angrily in response. "So what's up, Reika? Here to knock some sense into our mopey leader?" Reika nodded once, smacking his hand away as he tried to ruffle her hair playfully.

"So... You're a Trapper, Ambrose..." Max observed, face shifting seriously as her eyes met mine.

"Yeah..." I relented, sighing wearily to myself. Before I knew it, however, a heavy blow caught me on the jaw again, sending me falling back to the ground.

' _Not again...'_

I must've blacked out for a bit, for when I came to, I found Ben kneeling over me, waving his hand over my face with Reika at his side. Max stood a short ways away with Yang, her hair just as frizzled and messed up as the other girl's had been.

_'Ha! Serves you right, Argus!'_

"How you feelin', big guy?" the rogue asked, helping me shakily to my feet, the world swaying back in forth like the deck of a ship. "Bitch got you with your Aura down."

"Yeah, no shit..." I groaned, standing still until the world had found some sort of balance. "I think I need to see a nurse."

"Don't hold it against her," Ben advised, looking back over to the two girls. They seemed to have struck up some sort of accord, judging by their laughter. "Did you know that the Faunus Rights League came to her, after you left? Wanted her to sign some petition to kick you out."

"I take it that it didn't go over as well they'd hoped?"

"Basically told them to go fuck themselves. They didn't take it so well," he laughed to himself, eyes trying very hard to avoid mine.

I sighed, rubbing my throbbing head tenderly before calling him out on it. "What else happened?"

"They... _mmmight've_ been a little less than cordial 'bout it..." he said slowly, picking at his arm absently. "Said some less than flatterin' things about your partner."

"Uh huh..." I had a bad feeling about this. "How many did she hurt?"

"One, actually... And, uh... It wasn't her that did it... _Ah!_ " Reika smacked him upside the head, flashing him a few angry signs before marching off angrily to join the girls. "Yeah... She don't like it when I pull shit like this."

"Ben, what the hell did you do?"

"I might've... threatened the guy who insulted her. Now, before you get mad, he was a total pompous ass that totally deserved it!" he explained, noticing my angry expression. "Anyway, I sort of took this knife, and..."

I held up a hand to stop him. "I get the picture... So I guess our team probably isn't the most popular right now, is it?"

"Were we ever?" he retorted.

' _Huh... Good point.'_

"You'd have been proud, though. Bitch actually broke up the fight."

"Why bother? I don't need you guys defending me."

"Ah, shut up, Ambrose!" Max suddenly called out, making my head ring painfully. "Whether I like it or not, and believe me I do _NOT..._ _WE'RE_ a team!" She pointed to me, Reika, Ben, and then herself, puffing out her chest proudly. "And though I can't say I like any of you, especially you, Pipsqueak..." Reika flipped her off. "Being on a team means we have to look out for our own." She then shrugged her shoulders. "We might as well look out for each other, especially if no one else is."

The other two members of our group looked at the Faunus in astonishment. Reika eyes were still slightly annoyed from her previous remark, but there was a hint of admiration in them. Ben merely crossed his arms, giving the girl an appraised smirk.

"Whoa... Max, that was... That was just... _Wow,_ " I gaped, mouth slacked open at my partner's speech.

"Heh... Must be the pack mentality," Ben laughed, ruining the moment perfectly, until Reika delivered a crushing blow to his midsection, sending him spluttering to the ground. "S-sorry! Couldn't, _ah.._. resist!"

"Ugh... I feel dirty just saying that." The Faunus shivered visibly, though I did notice a grin as she watched Reika continue Ben's beating. Hell, even Ben was laughing, and the mute's blows seemed less heavy.

I felt Yang set a hand on my shoulder, the charge having dissipated enough that all she had to deal with was a bit of static cling. "I hate to say it, Joel, but your team's a little weird," she said cheerily as she looked at the state of my teammates. "Nice, but weird."

I shrugged feeling a smile stretch on my face for the first time since lunch. "Meh. They do tend to grow on you, after a while."

* * *

After leaving the training room, we had all gone to the nurse's office to get myself checked out. The verdict was that I was mostly okay, though I had lost a good amount of Aura from both of the slugs I had gotten to the face, which I had purposefully omitted to the nurse. She advised that I take it easy for the rest of the day, and refrain from overexerting myself, so as to let my Aura recover.

As we walked back to our dorm room, Yang already having returned to hers, I stopped walking as something overcame my senses.

Ben and Reika noticed this and looked back to me, while Max continued on her way. "What's up, Psycho? Gettin' an aftershock headache, are we?"

I shook my head, waving him off. "Nah, I'm fine. I just remembered that I had to do something. You two go on ahead."

Reika looked up at her partner with worry, flashing a few quick hand signals, before looking back at me with an arched eyebrow. "You sure, Boss? The nurse said to take it easy. And Reika's worried that one of the Faunus students might try to hurt you, considerin' your secret's out."

I gave him reassuring grin. "Don't worry about me. I've already gotten hit by the only two people strong enough to deck me like this. I'll be fine, Ben. Honest."

The sharpshooter narrowed his eyes at me in suspicion, before relaxing and shrugging his shoulders. "Suit yourself." He then gestured at his partner to leave, before walking off himself.

Reika kept gazing at me worriedly, to which I responded with a reassuring nod. Relenting, she then followed behind her partner.

I kept smiling at them, even when they had their backs turned to me. I waited until Reika and Ben had rounded the corner heading to the dormitories, before letting that grin fall into a frown. "There a reason you're still hiding right now, Blake? You can come out; they're gone."

"...So you did notice me?" a voice said from behind me, the one who had been following us since the gym. I turned around to see Blake as she stepped from the shadows, amber eyes fixed on me. We were the only ones left in the hallway.

"Things went well with your team, I take it?"

"Better than I expected, yes." I replied happily, leaning against the wall. "You're getting better. Almost didn't notice you following along."

"Oh?"

My head was still slightly sore from those punches earlier. _'Nurse said I was fine, but...'_

"I suppose I should've expected you would come looking for me."

"I was just making sure Yang was okay," she explained. "She's my partner, and I..."

"Blake, while that might be true, she went back to your dorm a while ago. Besides... I think we both know that the reason you're here has to do with me being a Trapper," I interjected, pushing myself away from the wall while the girl took a nervous step back. "And what that word means for people like you."

Her eyes narrowed at me. "What are you...?"

"You can drop the act... I know you're a Faunus."

Her eyes suddenly widened fearfully, before lashing her fist out. I actually managed to catch this one, redirecting the blow and pushing her, gently, away from me. I held my left hand up, giving her a bit of pause and letting her know that I meant no harm. "Sorry, but I've already been decked in the face twice today. I'm not looking to get sent back to the nurse anytime soon."

" _How long!?_ "

"Hmm?"

"How long have you known!?" she said coldly, taking another step away from me.

I just shook my head, and pointed towards the black bow atop her head with my outstretched hand. "Long enough. I was trained for three years to hunt Faunus, Blake. You don't think I can't tell? Especially when you have such sharp senses, not to mention the fact that your bow twitches occasionally when you get too excited or freaked out... I'd watch out for that."

"Whatever you do, please don't...!"

"Tell anyone? I've known for weeks, and I haven't told anyone, have I? It's none of my business why you're hiding, but you don't have to worry. I won't blow your secret," I reassured her, gently lowering my hand before turning to the window, the sun already setting for the day. "...We all have things we want to hide, right?" I grinned.

"...I suppose so." Blake moved to the space of the wall next to me. "Did you know that Velvet didn't join up with that mob of people trying to kick you out?"

"Yeah. My teammates already told me. Right after they mentioned the part about alienating the entire Faunus population at this school."

"It's not so bad. I overheard them arguing about how Ozpin wouldn't kick you out, though I wouldn't be surprised if they pressured him in some other way."

"Ozpin doesn't seem like the type of guy to be forced into something by the mob. To be honest, the guy could probably make an Ursa back down, if he looked at it funny."

"But they're still his students, and he's their Headmaster. He can't just ignore an outcry like this," she pointed out. "Not to mention that I doubt some students will stay quiet."

"Whatever happens, happens..." I sighed moving away from the wall and down the corridor. "If people want to give me grief, then fine. I knew the risks I was taking in coming here. But if they start messing with my team, then there'll be problems..."

"...Hey, Joel..." I turned around as the Faunus peered at me, eyes glowing in the dim light. "Why did you leave?"

"Leave?"

"The Red Hand... Why did you stop being a Trapper?" she asked, shifting uneasily from foot to foot while still keeping her eyes fixed on me. "I mean, you must have had reasons for joining, a-and I won't ask you to go into specifics..."

"It's fine," I assured, scratching the back of my head absently while looking down at my free hand, flexing my fingers. "I'm certain you know about how the Hand's priorities shifted from just White Fang, to pretty much all Faunus, right? Well, it didn't happen overnight. For years and years, it was drilled into us that every Faunus was the enemy. All Faunus, we were told, were just future soldiers that would come to take everything we loved, unless we hit them first."

"Did you really believe all that?"

"Not really..." I grimaced, clenching my hand into a fist. "...The only thing I knew was that people I loved were taken from me by some extremist group of masked bastards... And that made me angry... So damn _angry..._ " I took a deep breath to try to calm myself, my fist shaking. "I first discovered my _Conduction_ when I used it to kill the Faunus that executed my parents..."

"Joel..." I saw a look of shock cross her face. I even saw twinge of guilt.

_'_ _Guilt?...'_

"I spent the next three years fighting for revenge, until, eventually, it just felt... normal. I never questioned my orders, or wondered about who I was hurting. I was just a weapon, blindly fighting the enemy that I'd blamed for ruining my life. I did that for a long time, and never stopped, until..." My breath hitched as the memory flashed to the forefront of my mind.

I remembered it vividly, despite the fact that I hadn't dwelled on it for a long time. A scream. A gunshot. A light, bloody thump hitting the floor.

"What happened?" she asked hesitantly, urging me to go on.

I didn't respond at first. Perhaps the memory was still flashing in my head, or I was just simply ashamed of my role in what had happened.

Eventually, I told the truth. "...I let a child die." She gasped, eyes wide. "It, uh... happened during a raid outside of Atlas and Mantle. I'd managed to fight my way to the barracks, before getting jumped by a soldier I'd missed. Guy knocked my weapons away, but I still managed to get him with my Semblance... Once he was down, a girl ran out... Couldn't have been older than ten or eleven, at most." I could still see her face, pale and wide eyed, lip quivering in barely suppressed fear and sorrow. "She ran to the guy's body, crying out for him... Turned out that the man that I'd killed was her probably her father... And she had seen me take him from her with her own eyes... At that moment... I realized that I was no better than the White Fang, taking loved ones away from their families..." And all for the sake of blood that had already been paid...

I punched myself lightly in the head, just enough to hurt. I deserved it. "I just felt numb, standing there paralyzed after realizing what I'd done. I didn't notice her pick up a knife and run at me. I probably would've let her finish me off, if another Trapper hadn't come in after me and... dealt with her."

I hadn't thought of this in months, having buried it so deeply, that it only haunted me in dreams.

"...He killed a child?" I could hear the revulsion in her voice, the disgust.

I nodded sadly. "He just pulled her away from me. He had audacity to actually shoot her point blank, like she was nothing... When I asked him why, he just seemed glad, like he'd done the world a service by killing her so terribly. 'One less breeder,' he said..." I'd killed him seconds after he said that, jabbing a knife to his heart. He hadn't even seen it coming... " That day, I left the Red Hand... It wasn't easy. I had to take down some fellow Trappers and soldiers to get away successfully. I turned myself into the nearest police station, afterwards. Then, months later, I get a visit from some famous Headmaster, saying he wanted me for his school in Vale, and that I could attend if I wanted to."

I grinned as I remembered the strange visit. Me in irons, with walls of rubber-coated steel surrounding me, sitting across from this strange man asking me to come away with him, and fight the monsters in Mankind's nightmares, like I used to dream about as a boy. I'd thought it would be a way for me to atone for my sins, or at least try and do some good before I go. _'Hell of a lot better fighting some Grimm than rotting away in a dark cell...'_

Blake stared at me silently, face unreadable, before she finally spoke up. "Do you still hate the Faunus?... For taking your family away?"

I shook my head, exhaling from my nostrils as I did so. "No, I never hated the Faunus. Even after all that propaganda bull, I only killed those that tried to kill me. I do still hate the White Fang... But I realize that they're only a small minority."

The girl nodded in understanding, before turning to go her own way from the hall.

"Blake!" I shouted after her as she was about to round the corner. "...Were you a member of the White Fang?" It was a rude question to ask, I suppose. _Very_ rude. And I doubted she would answer truthfully, if she was. But I had to see if my suspicions were true.

"...Not anymore..." she said finally, avoiding my gaze before walking quickly out of sight.

I don't know how long I stayed there watching the space she'd vacated, but I eventually wandered off back to my dorm. Opening it, I found my teammates sprawled out in their beds, fast asleep. Maxine's snoring was the only sound in the room. I could see that Ben had put his pillow over his head in an attempt to muffle it out. As I climbed into bed, I noticed an alert on my Scroll, activating it to see a message from the Headmaster's office.

_"Team AMBR is to report to Professor Ozpin's office before classes, tomorrow morning. No excuses will be accepted. Attendence is **MANDATORY.** " -Professor Glynda Goodwitch_

_'Well, this is interesting,_ ' I thought, sparing the message a second's thought, before drifting off to sleep.

I still wasn't sure if coming to this Academy was a good idea. In retrospect, it probably wasn't... But knowing I had some friends within these walls made it seem that much more bearable.

* * *

_**-Professor Ozpin-** _

I felt a frown settle on my face, throwing the report down on the desk with a heavy sigh. "And the details are all ironed out?"

"As much as can be expected," Glynda replied, nodding briskly as she eyed my sixth glass of coffee disdainfully. "You need sleep, Professor. It isn't healthy for you to push yourself like this."

"I have three more requests to sign off, and another bout of complaints from earlier." I glanced at the thrown together petition I'd found affixed to my door.

 _'Really, Joel? Could you have chosen a more inopportune time_?'

I'd looked over the footage from the dining hall incident, and aside from a minor injury to Russell Thrush, Joel had handled the situation well, if only being a little too rough on Cardin towards the end.

"I see some still let their fears control them, even now."

"That entire team, except for Murasaki, is trouble. And even she's becoming a handful."

"Her private lessons not going as well as you hoped?"

She shook her head, a knot of worry crossing her face. "It's not that. She's doing quite well, actually. She'll be fully literate by the end of the month, at this rate. No, the problem is that she's still closed off. Her past is as much a mystery as when we started, and her partner has done little to help."

"Give her time, Glynda. I've never even spoken to the young girl, and I can tell that she has experienced her own share of troubles. They all have."

"Any you believe sending them out on a mission months earlier than expected will help?"

I could feel her eyes burning holes in my head as I took another sip from the fresh pot. "I had to make some concessions with the Faunus Rights League. They have as much right to feel safe as anyone, and that means that Peach's outing is off-limits. I can't just leave them on campus, can I?"

Her eyes narrowed sharply. "So you believe sending them out to some disaster site is a better alternative!?"

"The concentration of Grimm is low enough that there should be few problems. They merely need to report on the situation, and come back. Really, the only reason I'm doing this is to appease the SDC. They demanded a Huntsmen team to look into it." I held up a hand to cut off her argument, rubbing my aching eyes. "It's _done,_ Glynda. They may be young, but each member of that team has more raw skill than any other individual student here."

"As well as the unpredictability of wild Beowolves," Glynda finished, adjusting her spectacles with a "humph" of indignation. "Good night, Professor." She strode from the office, giving me one last glare before the door closed behind her.

* * *

_**-Weiss Schnee-** _

_'Where have I seen him before?'_ I wondered as I stared up at our leader's bunk, the soft snoring of my teammates filling the room. _'Ugh, this is so **infuriating.** Why can't I remember?'_

It wasn't as if there were many people walking around with hair as white as his. He almost looked like a Schnee, but his hair was more stark than smooth.

_'He's a member of the Red Hand, is that it?'_

My family usually tried to keep it under a thin veil of privacy, but it was a well established fact that Father had dealt with some... unsavory characters, especially in the past. This was especially true when it came to dealing with the White Fang and their assassins. Throughout my later childhood, my family had been constantly on the attack, as I watched relatives and business partners alike meet their end on the blade of some Faunus degenerate scum. The Red Hand was one of my father's more... colorful choices. Hired to protect Dust shipments out of the Kingdom, the organization had done a fair job of dissuading troublemakers. Father had even requested a pair of bodyguards for Winter and I...

 _"You fight well, Miss Schnee,"_ a muffled, distorted voice rang out in my mind, a voice I hadn't heard in years that had belonged to my bodyguard. _"You focus too much on following proper forms. It makes you easy to read."_

At the time, I'd merely chewed out the man for daring to question me, but... No... It _couldn't_ be. They would be about the same height, I suppose, but the guard couldn't have been him! There's no way the Red Hand would've assigned a child to watch me. He'd have been sixteen, at most!

_'Winter's guard was young enough, I suppose, but he was a prodigy, as she so fondly flaunted. Plus, he was at least of age...'_

Could it have been him? The Trapper assigned to me never removed his terrifying mask that they all had, the faceless visage marked with a blood red handprint.

 _"Get the girl out of here!"_ I remembered him shouting as he pushed me towards security at that concert, catching the assassin's arm before the knife found my heart. He twisted the appendage with a snap of bone as the crowd screamed, had slammed the man to the ground' and then... The man, a Faunus White Fang assassin it was discovered, had spasmed on the ground for a few seconds, before just falling to the ground dead. Almost as if he had been...

_'Electrocuted...!'_

I sat up quickly, shivering slightly.

It _was_ him!

-END


	9. WHAT IS HATE?

WHAT IS HATE?

**_-Maxine Argus-_ **

"So tell me again why we have to make the trek all the way up to Ozpin's office this early in the morning?" I groaned, treading along after Ambrose and Carson up the long flight of stairs.

 _'Damn_ _whoever busted the elevator! Damn them to the deepest pits of hell!'_

"Well, Goodwitch's message said to come before classes started, so that's the time we're going with," Joel explained with an annoyed look on his face. "Besides, it's only about an hour until you'd be up, anyway."

_'Yep. Definitely annoyed.'_

Someone, or _someones,_ had snuck out during the night, and covered our door in graffiti, _"DIE TRAPPER DIE!"_ being amongst the nicest. Our leader had laughed it off earlier, saying one of the crude drawings they'd made actually captured his good side, but it definitely got to him.

"Yeah, and it's an hour I'd rather spend sleeping, and not doing this!" I growled venomously, staring out an open window towards the ground several hundred feet below, only to flinch back quickly with my hair standing on end, and my ears twitching in alarm. _'Shit, that's high!'_

"You feelin' okay?" Poncho asked, pausing to look back at me curiously. I schooled my face back to normal within an instant, glowering back at him. He just shrugged tiredly, trudging along after the rest of our team.

 _'That was close...'_ I breathed a sigh of relief, before my eyes shifted back to the window, suppressing a shudder. _'Okay, new plan. Demolish the school, and destroy all stairs. Stairs are the enemy!'_

Within minutes, and a lot of tired complaints, we managed to pick our way up the last flight, coming to a stop in front of the side door to the Headmaster's Office. The pipsqueak raised her hand, flashing a few quick signs in that strange little handtalk of hers towards Ben, who only shrugged in response.

"I don't think so. Why would Ozpin need the rest of us here if this was just about Psycho? No... Somethin' else's up."

"You realize this might also have something to do with you threatening another student with a knife, right?" Ambrose called back, causing Carson to shift uncomfortably while his partner glared at him angrily. "Let's just take what comes, be respectful, and try not to say anything we all might regret, okay?"

I had a sneaking suspicion that the last bit was aimed towards me, but kept my snide comment to myself as we entered the office.

"Ah, there you all are..." Ozpin greeted us from behind his desk, sitting in front of an enormous window pane that opened out onto the whole of the surrounding area, including Vale. My skin crawled just imagining how high up we really were.

_'At least you can somewhat ignore it when you're in the rooms...'_

"I'm sorry about making you trek all the way up here so early..." He nodded towards the elevator apologetically, giving us a small smile. "I know from experience the walk isn't pleasant."

Joel nodded. "It's no trouble, though I can see now why you have a spare office on the lower floors, now." Ben muttered his assent, only to receive a stern punch from his partner. "Now, if you don't mind, Professor, we'd like to know what this is all about."

"Straight to the point, then..." Ozpin reached inside his desk, removing a small file from amongst many of the contents. "Before we begin, however, I need to go over some new ground rules with you, Mr. Ambrose."

"Ah, so you heard about my little secret getting out?"

The Professor nodded slowly, closing his eyes. I noticed dark circles under them, as well. Deep ones. The scent of coffee also hung off of him in waves.

_'Someone hasn't been sleeping well, either.'_

"Yes, I have. From over a dozen sources from the Faunus community and other concerned students, who flooded my office whilst screaming for your immediate dismissal, threatening to get parents involved if I did nothing."

I stepped forward, feeling my annoyance spike. "So, what? Are you gonna kick him out!? He hasn't done anything to them! They're just scared!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, turning to see Joel holding me back, a firm expression on his face, before he turned back to the old Huntsman.

"Sorry about that, Professor..."

"It's quite alright... The headmaster looked over at me. "Miss Argus is merely speaking out in her partner's defense, in her own way. A welcome change of character, I must admit. I was afraid the recent revelation might have negatively affected your relationship working with each other."

"Ambrose can be a bit of an ass sometimes, but he has his moments." I pulled my shoulder free, looking back at the white-haired Huntsman. "Doesn't mean I don't want to gut him, sometimes, but he's better than a lot of other people around here, Trapper or not."

Ben laughed at that stepping forward as well. "While I wouldn't have worded it quite like that, Professor, she speaks for all of us. Psycho here's only done good by us, so far."

Ozpin glanced at all of AMBR once again before giving us all a surprised, but warm smile. "I'm impressed, Mr. Ambrose."

"Believe me, so was I," our leader admitted, face red with embarrassment, before frowning once again. "You said you have new guidelines, so I take it I'm not here to get expelled?"

"Not at all," Ozpin reassured him, giving his head a quick shake, as if clearing it. "You are a student of this Academy. That fact has not changed. However..." he gestured towards a stack of ruffled papers lying across his desk. "With this kind of outcry, some public show of action is necessary, I'm afraid."

I growled, teeth bared as I gave the Professor my best death glare. "But he hasn't done anything wrong! It was all CRDL's fault! Why the hell are you...!"

"Max, that's _enough!_ " Joel's voice silenced mine immediately. He gave me a calm frown, before speaking up again "Go ahead, Professor."

_'This is complete bullshit! Why's he being so calm about this!?'_

"I'm sorry, Joel. I managed to keep you enrolled, but only just by a thread. There will be some new restrictions." He pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket. "First, you will not be allowed to carry your weapons within the school grounds, unless on an assignment, or under strict supervision from a staff member during all training and practice sessions. Until then, your equipment is to be stored in your locker, along with a new lock that can only be opened by receiving a signal from both your own Scroll and one from Professor Goodwitch."

I noticed Joel flinch slightly, but he nodded in understanding. "Okay... That's bearable. Not much different from the regular rules, except for the teacher supervision part. What else?"

"Next, you are required to attend two hour-long sessions a week with a member of staff, who will evaluate your behavior, and can, at that staff member's discretion, suspend or adjust your position at this school."

"Do I get to choose the teacher?"

"One has already stepped forward. I'm certain you won't be displeased. Your first meeting is later today. We will relay the location to your Scroll," Ozpin replied curtly, before glancing down once again at the list in his hand, shaking his head distastefully. "And finally, you must give a spoken apology to the Faunus community for the assault of Richard Kaplan."

"Oh, _HELL_ _no!_ " Ben stepped forward this time angrily, fists clenched as he pushed past Ambrose and marched in front of the Headmaster's desk, slamming both hands down hard as he did so, causing us all to jump as the piece of furniture rattled visibly. His scent radiating anger in waves. "Professor, that wasn't Psycho's fault! That was all _me!_ Punish _me!_ "

"I'm sorry, Mr. Carson. While I was against it, the demand was for Joel, specifically, to present the apology, not you, as he is Team AMBR's leader, and is thus responsible for your actions, however indirectly."

I could hear my teeth grinding together at that. Even Reika seemed to be fuming. _'Kaplan, that little shit. He just wanted the image of a Trapper begging him for forgiveness!'_

"Joel _can_ say no to this. However, if he does, it will mean your suspension, as you were the one who threatened him."

I almost cracked a tooth. _'Now he's essentially forcing Ambrose to do it!'_

"I'm sorry, Joel. This was the best I could do. My hands are unfortunately tied."

"Done," Joel said quickly, before any of us could say anything else, face set resolutely.

"Psycho- Joel, no!..." Ben started to say, before a look from Joel cut him off, leaving him grumbling at the floor.

"Anything else, Professor?"

"Just one last thing before you go to class..." Ozpin placed a finger on the folder, sliding across the desk towards us. "I have put your team forward in a mission tomorrow just outside the Kingdom. Well outside the scope of any heavy Grimm activity, but still out in the field."

"...A _mission?_ " I noted, confused and rightly so. "Like, a proper mission, and not an assignment or a practice, or something like that? I thought we wouldn't get it until next semester?" I could tell by the shift in scent that my teammates were shocked as well.

"That is true. Officially, you shouldn't receive your first mission until then. However, this is a special case, considering your team's active combat experience." Ozpin nodded towards Joel, Ben, and Reika in turn. "Your teammates, Miss Argus, possess practical knowledge of working in a hostile field. Thus, I trust that AMBR is more than capable of completing such a mission early."

"So you want us to go hunt Grimm early?"

I couldn't believe it. I thought it'd be months until I got to fight a live Grimm again. My way, and not like in Port's controlled classroom.

"Not precisely..." Ozpin admitted, the words causing my ears to droop in disappointment. "This mission comes directly from the Schnee Dust Company, and concerns one of their mining operations just outside the Kingdom." Joel opened the folder, which had aerial shots of a quarry nestled against the base of a large mountain inside. "One week ago, this quarry's crew went silent. Shipments stopped, and all attempts to establish contact have failed. After three days, a response team from the company was sent in, who have since disappeared as well. The main issue is that this area has always been noted for having a low Grimm population, despite being outside the Kingdom's borders, one of the reasons the company was so interested in it in the first place. But it is possible an incursion may have occurred since then. The SDC has requested the assistance of a team of Huntsmen from Vale to ascertain the situation, and, if possible, solve the problem."

"So you're sendin' us, rather than real Huntsmen and Huntresses?" Ben muttered, glaring at the headmaster, robotic fingers clenched. "What? Everyone else on holiday, or somethin'?"

"Your team is different from the others at this school, Mr. Carson," Ozpin explained, resting his chin on top of both hands, leaning forward. "AMBR's members, namely Joel, Reika, and yourself, possess a wealth of experience that other students do not. Both of you lived in the Badlands, while Joel, here, hails from the Frontier, places both known for their excessive danger from both the Creatures of Grimm and other threats. I hope to use that experience, and mold your team into a force that can handle what other students at your level could not."

Something clicked into place at those words, and sick realization rose in my throat that killed my good mood.

"Bet it helps that no one'll miss us if we screw up..." I said slowly, eyes boring into his accusingly. "Joel's an ex-Trapper with a record. Ben and Reika don't have anywhere to go, and his Dad can't do anything about it, while my parents are both gone. No one'll ask questions if we disappear, but we're strong enough that you can use in situations you don't want to risk your teachers or students in. A real suicide squad..." I saw his eyes twitch in annoyance, but he said nothing, merely letting my words wash over him, face keeping that veneer of calm. "What? Not even gonna defend yourself?"

I saw Ben and the others eyeing him as well, their anger and frustration barely contained now that I brought up my point.

"Defend myself for what?" Ozpin asked after taking a deep breath, eyes focusing on me, almost as if examining me. "For using the pieces I have available effectively? Miss Argus, you seem to forget that our duty as Huntsmen and Huntresses is to use our unique skills, and risk our safety, for Humans and Faunus everywhere. To throw ourselves in front of them as a shield against the Creatures of Grimm." I opened my mouth angrily, but he silenced me with a glare. The pressure radiating off of the man was enormous, and the other's could feel it as well. Every animal instinct in me was telling me to hold my tongue. "Miss Argus... Maxine. I know that I am being unfair. That I'm willing to place you in a dangerous situation because I cannot risk a full team of Huntsmen on an unknown situation. However, know that I am sending your team in particular because I know you all have the ability to succeed if the need calls for it. Not just any team can take on a Chimera, even a juvenile one, at your age and best it. Not to mention the term 'suicide squad' can hardly apply in this case."

"Still seems like a bum deal, to me," Ben grumbled under his breath, arms crossed.

"In the meantime, you will be sent on small exercises so we can ascertain your reliability in the field. You will be clearing Grimm dens and such for the next week, which should improve your teamwork, and allow us to placate the SDC with tales of your successes. Regular class assignments will be suspended, so don't worry about falling behind."

_'Fighting Grimm instead of homework for a week? Sounds like heaven.'_

"That's all I have for you. Professor Goodwitch will be in contact with the specifics of your exercises, which should begin tomorrow. Richard has his assembly in half an hour. I expect you to be there." Ben let out an angry sound from deep in his throat, but stayed silent as Joel nodded. "Good. Dismissed."

My teammates and I moved towards the door to leave. However, I stayed behind to look at Ozpin one last time. "If it's any consolation, Headmaster... I like you, and I know that you're only doing what you feel is right. It's for a shit reason, but at least you have the balls to admit it."

"Don't thank me, Maxine." He shook his head, massaging his eyes gingerly before looking back at the papers his desk with a heavy sigh. "In a perfect world, you wouldn't have to put your childhood on hold just because it's more convenient."

"Eh. In a perfect world, there wouldn't be any Grimm, and that would be boring for people like me." I flashed him a wolfish grin before departing, chuckling to myself, until I remembered what we were leaving to do.

* * *

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

"Ben, just shut up. It's my choice. Might as well give him what he wants, and get it over with," I said for what must've been the sixth time since leaving Ozpin's office, shooting the sniper a dark look. "Besides if, I don't-"

"What!? I get suspended!? At least that way, we get to keep some shred of dignity!" Ben spat angrily, kicking at the ground as we neared the amphitheater. "I just hate the thought of that smug prick usin' you to get back at her."

"Who, Max? You're the one who threatened him, weren't you?"

"For insultin' her! I told you she wouldn't help him out with his little witch hunt." He glanced back at Max. "She's not exactly as involved in the Faunus community as I suppose he wanted her to be." He sighed picking up a large rock off the path, juggling it in his free hand. "Fuckin' asshole..."

"Ben..." I started as I glanced at the rock, eyebrow raised.

"Calm down, Psycho. I'm learnin'. This is completely for stress relief..." He held up both arms in mock surrender. "Plus, I get the nice mental image of bashin' his head in. Should make this whole thing a bit more palatable. Want one?"

"I'll pass, thanks..." I grunted, trying to avoid the stares from Faunus and human students both as they passed us by. "You know, I think Max is starting to rub off on you."

"Nah, I've always been like this. People just think Rei's the violent one." He laughed darkly, tossing the rock between his hands now. "I'm just less open about it than Bitch is."

I shrugged, taking a deep breath, before opening the door to the amphitheater, and striding into what I realized was a very crowded room, filled with students both Faunus and Human alike. I felt my heart drop to somewhere beneath my feet.

_'Ah, shit...'_

A bulky, orange headed boy with black striped cheeks stood on the raised platform, yellowish eyes staring smugly at me as I strode through the room. Students parted out of my way as I walked by. I vaguely remembered the man as leader of RSET, one of the few all-Faunus teams on campus.

 _'Hmm, figure of authority. Probably likes to place himself on top... No wonder Max hates him...'_ I felt my lip tug to the side at the thought. _'Might as well enjoy the little things.'_

"Mr. Ambrose! How nice of you to join us..." Kaplan said loudly, drawing the attention of the entire room to both him and me. "I have to admit, I'm surprised and elated you chose to come, at all..." He gestured towards the space next to him. He probably wanted me to stand next to prove his superiority to everyone right at my face.

"Let's get this over with, Kaplan." I came to a halt only a few feet from the stage, denying him his little moment. I wasn't sure exactly what it was, but the thought of being up on the stage just to feed his ego sickened me. Ben was wrong if he thought I'd just completely debase myself. "I was told you wanted an apology?"

"For your teammate's actions, yes..." the Tiger Faunus announced, pointing towards Ben, eyes narrowing at my lack of compliance. "Threatening my life in full view of the student body... Such actions may be tolerated in a barbaric group such as the Red Hand. But _this_ is Beacon. We work hard to instill a sense of equality and safety within this academy, for both races. And I, for one-"

A loud crack punctuated the room, as the rock in Ben's right hand shattered under the crushing metal, robotic fingers grinding the gravel into dust.

"...I apologize for my comrade's actions. I'm certain you've experienced similar situations as a team leader, yourself?" Kaplan seemed taken aback, eyes still darting towards Ben. "I will make sure that it doesn't happen again."

The rogue waved at him, dust sifting down his hand onto the floor in a fine powder. _'I love this bastard.'_

"E-excellent..." The Faunus shifted uncomfortably, before regaining his composure "But I can't help but fear, however, that such... behavior... may have only occurred in part due to certain influences. In fact, I feel rather terrified." Murmurs of agreement rose up from the surrounding students. "Can I be certain that you will not fall back to your old ways, one day? Professor Ozpin may have restricted your weapons, but I know about your other talents, Joel. Am I safe? Is any Faunus in this room safe!?"

The murmurs grew in volume at those words. I even heard a few "yeahs" yelled out.

"I'm not...!"

"You've yet to not deny your affiliation with the Red Hand, a group infamous for its hate of my people, Ambrose. Does that imply that there is some part of you that cringes hatefully at Faunus, such as my...!"

" _FOR YOU INFORMATION,_ _Kaplan...!_ " I cut him off, voice noticeably angry now. "I've _never_ hated the Faunus... _Never._ "

"How can you say that!? Need I remind everyone that you were in the...!"

"Red Hand! Yes! Thank you _so_ much for establishing that fact," I responded somewhat mockingly.

_'I agreed to an apology, not this ego trip...'_

"And yes, just so no one is asking questions about it later, I've killed members of the White Fang, who, yes, happened to be Faunus themselves..." I let the crowd sink this in before continuing. "Does this make me hate all Faunus? No. I've taken down Humans in the same fashion. They were all coming at me with the intent to kill, and I responded in kind."

Well, if people weren't whispering before, they sure we're now.

"So it's true, then!?" Richard blurted. "You admit you hate...!"

"What _is_ hate, Richard!?" The use of his first name shocked him, a trick that I'd learned in the Trappers that made interrogations much more effective.

"Huh?..." he stammered, looking from me to the crowd. "Why are you...?"

"Hate, to me, is watching the White Fang kill my best friend's father, and a host of others, in front of her for saying they were criminals. _Hate_ is seeing those same monsters take my parents away from me for trying to protect him and the other innocent bystanders that were caught up in their wake. _HATE_ is experiencing and hearing a hundred other stories just like that, of how they have taken away homes, friends, _and_ loved ones, all while trying to justify a terrorist fear campaign as 'fighting for equality!' We all have an Aura, Richard, a _soul!_ It's what separates us from the Grimm!"

I looked back to those standing nearby. Some stared at me with fear, others with interest.

"I don't hate someone or something because of something as trivial as their _race._ I hate them because they hurt me, and those I care about, and would hurt others if left unchecked. I _regret_ what the Red Hand became, and my inability to stop it! However, that _doesn't_ mean that I don't still believe that the White Fang needs to be stopped! No, this doesn't mean that I hate the Faunus as a whole. I just hate a group of terrorists that use you as an excuse to cause others pain! And I promise you all, right here, that as long as you serve to protect others and uphold the principles that this school was founded upon, you will have _nothing_ to fear from me... I swear it on my honor!"

I nodded to them all, giving Kaplan one last withering glance, before turning around. "Now, wait just one...!"

"But let's make something perfectly clear, here and now..." I looked to the assembled students sternly, standing to my full height. "If _any_ of you try make my team, or anyone else who interacts with me suffer for that fact, or mistreat them in any way... I will not stay silent, and will make sure you _WILL_ regret it. Your problem will be with me, and me alone..." I finished, before striding from the amphitheater with teammates in tow.

"Holy shit, Ambrose..." Max said, falling into step next to me. "Not sure you made many friends with that speech, if that's what you were going for. Especially the whole killer bit."

"It's the truth, Max. I'm not going to hide my past and let people wonder and make up stories."

"Hey, can't say you didn't tell him you were sorry, though! That whole 'we all have a soul' thing? _Really_ deep," Ben laughed, clapping me on the back before his face dropped in concern. "I'm sorry, Joel. I know that can't have been easy, talkin' about your parents. Man... I had no idea..."

Reika punched me lightly in the side, eyes staring up at me worriedly.

"No harm done, you two..." I grinned at the both of them warmly. "I needed to get that out, anyway. What better place for it than there?"

" _JOEL!_ "

I looked around, somewhat startled, to see a familiar girl with rabbit ears running towards us.

" _Velvet...?_ "

-END

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed reading, Not much action and a bit shorter than usual, sorry. This is more of a Filler chapter, setting up for the first mission and whatnot. Please leave your comments, I love hearing them in my other stories and my philosophy is they only make the story better. Have a great week everyone.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Chapter 10**

* * *

**Edited as of (10/23/16)**

**PB: Da-Awesom-One**

FIRST MISSION

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

" _Velvet...?_ " I stammered out as the Rabbit Faunus ran up to us, out of breath and panting, as she stared at me nervously.

Max snarled angrily, pushing past me as she went for Velvet, who flinched but didn't back down. "What the hell do you want, you little...!" I put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her before she could do anything worse than bark. I shook my head as she glanced around at me, confused. "What!? This is _her_ fault! If she hadn't...!"

"I can handle it," I said simply, gesturing for her and the rest of my team to wait at the end of the hall.

"Ambrose!"

" _Argus_..." I said more firmly this time, before giving her a grin. "I've got this."

Max opened her mouth as if to argue, but ultimately closed it, growling under her breath as she nodded. She stomped after Ben and Reika, who had already walked off. Along the way, her Aura flared suddenly, as every window she passed began rattling dangerously.

 _'Good thing I've got that meeting later. Don't think I want to be in my room for a while,'_ I thought with relief, turning my attention back to Velvet, who still stood in front of me, brown eyes staring sadly after the Canine Faunus.

"Sorry about that. Just ignore what she said. She just gets a bit... heated, sometimes," I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head as I tried very hard not to hear the loud crash ring out from the end of the hall.

"She's right, though..." the brunette sighed, gazing down at the ground rubbing her arm. "It _is_ my fault. If you hadn't tried to help me, if you'd just let Cardin do what he wanted..."

"Then I would've felt like such an ass," I finished, shrugging as I bent down so I could see her eyes. "I don't blame you for what happened, Velv. It was gonna come out either way, eventually."

"But I just froze! I was so scared of you, even though you've been nothing but kind to me since we met..." She shook her head furiously, "Afterwards, I wanted to talk to you; to apologize! But then Richard started hounding me to sign that damn petition, and to say that you threatened to hurt me..." She sniffed loudly, covering her face. "I'm in my supposed to be your senior here, and I _still_ can't stick up for myself. I'm so _pathetic!_ "

"Velvet. _I_. _Don't_. _Blame. You,"_ I said slowly, emphasizing each word as I brought her hands down, giving her a friendly grin. "Honestly, I'd be a little worried for you if the thought of a Trapper standing in front of you didn't terrify you, especially considering I didn't tell you about it." I averted my eyes guiltily as she glanced up at me. "You're actually one of the first Faunus to consider me as a friend since I joined the Red Hand... Well, besides Max, but 'friend' is a bit of a loose term with her... " I took a deep breath, calming myself down as thoughts of the last three years began to sneak to the forefront of my mind. "I joined them along with my friend so that I could protect her, and get some measure of payback. Instead, I just ended up leaving my brother, the last bit of family I had left, alone, when he needed me most. And all for what? So I could end up becoming the same kind of monster I tried so hard to kill..."

"Joel..." I then looked at her face, brown eyes staring intently into mine. "A monster wouldn't have stepped in to help me when I needed it. A monster wouldn't have put himself through that sham of an apology, just to keep their teammate out of trouble. And a monster _certainly_ wouldn't be able to inspire the kind of loyalty you do in your team, or doing his best to apologize right now."

She looked down the hall, wincing slightly. _'Great. Max must've broken something expensive.'_

"They might not show it, but I can tell that you all care for one another. Not a lot of teams can say that. I mean Richard runs RSET like an army sergeant."

"Yeah. Tried that. Didn't work out so well," I laughed. "I've found that, after a while, you get more bees with honey. And even though Max can be difficult, sometimes, her heart's in the right place."

I sighed, glancing back over my shoulder, and more than a little shocked to find a crushed drinking fountain spitting a steady stream of water into the hall. _'Great...'_

"Look Velvet..." I bowed my head towards her. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I should've told you, at least considering how much it concerned you, but I was too much of a coward... Do you still want to be friends...?"

"Of _course_ I still want to be friends." She caught me up in a tight hug, giving me a friendly wink. "You're not getting out of our project, so easily!"

* * *

"Ah, Mr. Ambrose! Come in, come in!" a familiar fast-paced voice welcomed me as I opened the classroom door, still cringing after the talking to I'd gotten from Goodwitch about destruction of public property.

_'Keep this up, and my team might start taking advantage...'_

"Sit down," a greenish blur zoomed around the room, moving desks and chairs out of the way.

"Professor... _Oobleck_?" I wondered, as the green-haired professor came to a stop in front of me, clothes still slightly disheveled. "You're the one who stepped forward for me?"

"Well, when Professor Ozpin asked for one of the faculty staff to manage you, of course I volunteered!" The Huntsman ushered me into the room, setting me down on one of the spare chairs lying around. "And it's _Doctor_ Oobleck," he added sternly, before zooming off towards the large teacher's desk, rifling through a pile of papers. "I didn't spend all that extra time studying for nothing, after all!"

"Sorry, Prof... _Doctor,_ " I corrected quickly, seeing the twitch of his eyebrow. "I just don't know why you'd do this for me. It has to be a hassle for you, right?"

"Not at all, not at all!" he reassured me. "I was actually amongst the most qualified for such a position! History wasn't the only thing I studied, after all. Someone as fast as I am needs to spend his spare time somehow, and Psychology was always a little side hobby of mine. Now, then!..." He appeared suddenly in a chair across from me, leaning back comfortably notebook and pencil in hand. "Let's begin."

"...So we're officially calling this therapy, then?" I asked hesitantly. "I thought this was just a check-in?" I'd already been through the gamut of criminal, social, and behavioral psychologists. Even a student piece stopped by about two months into my sentence.

"A 'check-in' can refer to many things. We're here for an hour, Mr. Ambrose. May as well use it, correct?" He tapped his notepad. "You don't need to tell me anything you don't want to."

"Alright... Where do you wanna start?" I crossed my arms behind my head lazily.

"Well, your 'apology' to Mr. Kaplan did bring up a few points," he noted, scribbling something down on his pad, before eyeing me expectantly. "Students are already talking."

"I thought it got the point across," I shrugged. "So, do you want to hear about my parents? My time in the Red Hand? My first mission?..."

"Actually, I'd like to explore why you agreed to Richard's terms in the first place?"

The question caught me off guard. "I'm sorry?"

"Why did you agree to give that apology? You had to have known that it would've been turned on you. It was an attempt to put you down before the student body, and I'm sure it dredge up some unpleasant emotions for yourself. So why would you ever agree to that to put yourself through that?"

"Well if I didn't, then Ben would've been suspended. I couldn't just let that happen."

"Why not?" Oobleck countered, making another swift note. "Though I'm certain Richard isn't entirely blameless for his situation, Mr. Carson still reacted poorly."

"I'm his team leader...!" I stammered out, but Oobleck cut me off with a sharp tap.

"So a team leader should always sacrifice himself for his team?"

"Of course not! But I...!"

Another loud tap.

"What about the situation with Miss Scarlatina?" Oobleck said pointedly, adjusting his glasses. "You against four trained students, where a victory could mean expulsion for yourself. Was that worth it?"

"I... I... That was..."

"Admirable? Yes. But also foolish, _and_ detrimental to yourself." The professor paused, glancing down at his notes. "Even your reason for joining the Red Hand was to defend others at the cost of your own safety. Forgive me, but such behavior can't be healthy. Is there a reason why?"

I wanted to argue that point, but couldn't help considering that he was absolutely right. I hid it behind noble ideals, justifying it to myself at the time, but Oobleck had a point.

"It's... It's complicated..." I said after a short pause. "Growing up, my parents always stressed protecting others whenever you could, placing them before yourself. I mean, that's what being a cop or a Huntsman is all about. Placing yourself in harm's way in defense of someone else who can't take it, you know?"

"That is one of the symbolic duties associated of those careers, yes," the Huntsman nodded. "But there is a time where restraint, caution, is warranted. Someone in your new position can't just throw themselves away, willy-nilly."

"So I should let someone get hurt, if I could stop it!?" I was on my feet now. When did that happen?

"If the need is great enough, then yes..." The doctor stared me full in the face, unwavering. "Being a leader means trusting your teammates, knowing what risks are worth taking, but also knowing when to make the hard choices. You are more of a symbol to your team then you know, and if you are lost in a very volatile situation..."

"Ben would take over..."

"And you would force that upon him? What if he's compromised emotionally, or if he doesn't have all of the information that you do? You are a constant on your team; the glue that binds it together in a crisis. You _CANNOT_ fall!"

"I... I never thought about it that way."

"It may sound cruel to hear it, but a king cannot sacrifice itself for a pawn, or a knight, if the game is to be won." The statement hung in the air, Ozpin's earlier words replaying in my head. "Now, I'd like to move on to another topic, but I recommend that you keep what we've talked about in mind. Especially over the next few days with your upcoming mission."

All I could do was nod blankly, still caught up in the realization of just how much weight had been pushed on my shoulders.

_'How does Ozpin do it?'_

* * *

**_-Maxine Argus-_ **

**(One Week Later)**

" _On your six, Bitch!_ " Poncho cried out as he dodged a bolt of light, leaping away as it impacted on the ground and sending up a veritable glacier of ice. "You've got a shadow!"

I spun around, bringing _Cerberus_ to bare as I knocked away an attempted sneak attack from RWBY's resident ninja, who flipped away before I could land a solid hit.

"Damn it, stay still!"

I had to fight to stay focused, the smell of cat permeating my senses. _'The hell!?'_

She landed in a graceful crouch, lashing out again with that strange sickle of hers. I ducked under the weapon as it passed by just centimeters above my ears.

 _'Enjoy this, cat lady!'_ I grinned, feeling a rush of energy as my Aura flared to life. _'Focus, focus, **FOCUS!** ' _I stretched my arm out in a grabbing motion, feeling a smile build across my face at the gasp of surprise I heard as the bladed pistol froze in mid air on its way back around. I jerked my arm back, causing the weapon to fly off the stage, followed shortly by its surprised owner.

"Miss Belladonna is out!" Goodwitch called out from her perch in the stands, bespectacled eyes glaring down at the melee.

I collapsed to my knees as my Aura faded quickly, panting heavily. _'Stupid, stupid Semblance!'_ The thing was still fickle as hell, taking all of my concentration, not to mention my power, just to do simple hit on anything at range. _'But I could do worse than that... I could go around and wipe out a whole building...'_ I gritted my teeth, suppressing the unspoken voice.

" _Max, watch it!_ " Ambrose's voice sent me crashing back to reality, as a golden shape sped towards me with her fist raised. Before I could react, Ambrose appeared, colliding with Xiao Long hard, and tackling her to the floor. " _Pay attention!_ " he cried out again, as he tried to restrain the brawler in a police hold.

I shook my head, turning around as Ben and Reika managed to knock the haughty Schnee girl out of the arena with a quick sneak attack to join Belladonna, and now had Rose cornered.

"Time!" Goodwitch announced, both sides pausing as she approached the stage, putting the results of the fight into her Scroll. "AMBR is the victor with three fighters still in play, and RWBY with two. Excellent work."

" _Three?_ But we're..." I glanced up at the board, cursing as I saw my Aura sitting comfortably in the red.

"I recommend that you exercise restraint, Miss Argus," Goodwitch chided, making a tick on her Scroll. "Your Semblance is powerful, but it won't matter much if you collapse after every use." She turned to Joel. "That will be all for today, Mr. Ambrose. Please remember that your team will depart tomorrow morning by airship. Don't be late. Your weapons will be returned to you before your departure."

"Yes, Professor," Ambrose nodded, helping Yang to her feet before making his way to the locker room to store his weapons, as he had for the past week.

Goodwitch had been happy enough to oversee our small training sessions against RWBY and JNPR, but was a stickler when it came to Joel's weapon privileges.

"Excellent. Now the rest of you make sure to rest up. We will be leaving for Forever Fall tomorrow, as well, for Professor Peach's assignment. And while it shouldn't prove too dangerous, you should still remain vigilant." With that she turned on her heels and marched from the gym at a brisk pace.

"Nice fight, you guys!" Yang said, offering her hand towards Ben. "Thought we had you for a while there."

The rest of RWBY nodded, though it seemed only the two sisters were actually good sports about it. The Schnee girl was muttering angrily to herself while shooting glares at the locker room every few seconds, her scent tense. The ninja, on the other hand, just stared at me from the corner of her eye. I gave her a sly wink.

"You guys have really good teamwork going on. Especially you two," she added, eyeing Reika and Ben.

"Well, we've been fightin' together for years, and the whole 'no talkin'' thing meant we had to get synergy, pretty quick," Ben laughed, nudging his partner playfully. "Psycho and Bitch, on the other hand..."

"Oi!" I gave him my best death glare, sending him shrinking behind his minuscule partner in mock terror. "We have our own thing going! He stays out of my way, I stay out of his, we watch each other's backs occasionally, and who cares about the rest!?"

"Good thing he was watching your back this time, or Yang would've obliterated it," Blake added darkly, giving me a wink of her own that set my nails digging into my palm.

_'Ooh, looks like kitty **does** have claws...'_

"Nice to see everyone getting along!" Joel cried out, as he returned from the the locker room, weapons and armor stored back in that safe of a locker Ozpin set him up with.

 _'That's gotta suck. No one's keeping my baby away from me,'_ I mused to myself, gripping the handle of my axe tighter.

"Thanks for helping us train, guys," my partner gratefully said.

"Not a problem!" Yang grinned, widely cracking her knuckles. "You guys are great practice! By the way, where'd you learn that hold you had me in?"

"My dad was in the Police Force back home," he explained. "He taught me all sorts of self defense moves they used to restrain criminals. Paired with Aura, it's effective on just about anything, even Grimm."

I remembered seeing it in action close up, especially over the last few days. Joel was able to flip and restrain small Grimm easily without even using his weapon.

"That's right. I suppose you _would_ need to grab a hold of people long enough for your Semblance to do the rest..." Weiss stated under her breath darkly. Joel's eye widened in surprise and hurt, but he quickly suppressed it.

"What the _hell's_ your problem!?" I glowered at her, teeth bared and all tiredness forgotten. Reika took a step forward, eyes burning brightly, reaching for her _Strike Lotus._

" _WEISS!_ " Ruby chided, turning to her partner angrily, before looking back at Joel with an apologetic look on her face. "Joel, I'm sorry! I don't...!"

"It's fine. She's right it did make my work easier. Very perceptive of you, _Miss Schnee,_ " Joel interrupted her, giving the Schnee snob a formal bow and staring up at her eyes cold as ice. I noticed a look of panicked recognition flit across the girl's face, before she steeled herself, her stoic expression returning.

_'Well, look like something's up between these two...'_

Ben stepped in to diffuse the situation, that roguish grin full in effect as he stepped between them. "Like Psycho was sayin', it's really nice of you to train with us the last few days, though I was wonderin' where JNPR ended up? I thought you said they'd be able to help, too?"

Ruby's face fell. "They're still mad at Jaune, I think. Ever since he started hanging around Cardin and his team, he's been blowing them off," she replied sadly. "I don't know why he's letting this go on, too. It's not like they're nice to him, or anything."

"Jaune's a good guy. I'm certain he'll get over this." Joel reassured her, stretching widely. "Forever Fall will be as good a place for it as any. It's a team building exercise, right?"

"Yeah! You know, you guys are _so_ lucky!" Ruby said excitedly, brightening up again, glancing at us with a look of innocent envy in her eyes. "Getting to go on an actual mission before any of the other First Years. I'm so jealous!"

Ben shook his head in astonishment. "Really? _You're_ jealous of us havin' to wake up at the crack of dawn the last few days, to do what again, Reika?" The pipsqueak rattled through a few quick signs and motions. "Ah, right. Take out a den of Beowolves, find a flag hidden in the bowels of the ruins you guys _so generously_ messed up during Initiation, and, uh... Oh! Observe the habits of the graceful Ursa in it'ss natural habitat for Professor Port."

"That sounds _awesome!_ " the red headed girl beamed, face shining with delight. "Well, except for the last bit, you guys get to be like real Huntsma\en and Huntresses."

"Hey, worst comes to worst, we'll most likely just have to clear up a few Grimm that tangled with the miners over territory. You guys get to actually relax in the most beautiful place in the Kingdom, so it should be a pretty easy day for all of us." Joel said, patting her on the head. "Oh, was their any progress on getting that intel on where we're going, _Miss Schnee?_ "

"Stop calling me that!" she spat back venomously, drawing a few strange glances from both our teams. "...Anyway, I checked with my father's aides about projects they're running out within that area, but they couldn't find anything about any mine. Likely..."

"Your father erased all existing information on the mine and its workers, so it wouldn't show up on the company's reports?" Blake finished for her, shaking her head bitterly. "Sounds like something your company would pull, leaving the workers and their families in the dust."

"I beg your pardon!?" the heiress shot back, looking back at her teammate red faced.

"It's fine! Really!" Joel said quickly, diffusing the argument before it started. "So we're going in blind... We'll just deal with it the same way we did with the ruins."

We continued on like that for about an hour, with me sharpening my axe lovingly, Joel teaching Yang the basics of that hold he'd used, and Ruby fawning over Ben's arm while he put it through its paces, admiring the complicated pieces of machinery. Weiss had stormed out soon after our practice match had finished, spitting out something about studying plant life for tomorrow, while Cat Girl read in the stands.

"What's the deal with you and Schnee?" I asked Joel as he came over to the bench I was sitting at, nursing an aching shoulder. Seemed Yang was a quick student when it came to hand-to-hand combat.

"What do you mean?" he shot back innocently as he stripped off his sweatshirt, hissing as he pressed a cold compress to his strain, Aura already at work healing the injury.

"Don't play dumb with me. I can smell lies," I said, producing a familiar keening sound as I swept the grindstone over the blade.

"Bullshit."

"No, really. But you don't need Faunus senses to see something's up. So spill it."

He hesitated a moment, taping down the compress before slumping into the space next to me with a heavy thump. "Since when do you care who hates me and who doesn't?

"I _don't_. But you _do_. And if you fuck up because your feelings are hurt, then I get put at risk." I shot him a smug look. "I care in my own way. Why do you think I blew up Kaplan's locker for you?"

"Because you're a vengeful sadist, with way too many anger issues," he guessed, wincing as I smacked him in the shoulder. "Fine!... Me and Weiss happen to have some... history. Some stuff happened, and I think... No, I _know_ she's become aware of it, too."

"Trapper stuff?"

"Yeah."

I raised an eyebrow at that, a host of questions coming to mind. "Wow. So the pretty, perfect Weiss Schnee was involved with the Red Hand?" I grunted, spitting on the floor with disdain. "And here I thought my opinion of her or her company couldn't get any worse."

"Was more her father, actually..." Joel noted, leaning back against the cool metal wall. "Little more than three years back, when the Red Hand was just considered a bunch of vengeful mercenaries rather than armed terrorists, Weiss' father approached us as a means of stopping White Fang attacks on his Dust shipments between the Kingdoms."

"He hired you?"

"The organization was just starting to militarize, and we needed the funds for weapons, armor, intel, etc..." Joel rattled off bitterly. "I mean, we were already hunting the White Fang, when Schnee comes along and actually offers to _pay us_ for it. Why the hell would we refuse?"

"Where were you in all this?" I asked surprised. "You couldn't have been more than, what, sixteen?"

"I'm well into eighteen now, so I think around... Yeah, sixteen maybe, give or take a few months," he said simply, counting out years on his fingers as if it were a normal thing to do at his age. "It had been seven months since my parents had been killed, and maybe five since I joined the Red Hand's Trapper program. Whole idea was to take ex-Huntsmen or Huntsman Academy dropouts that had lost something to the Faunus, put them through the most brutal training imaginable, and make an elite fighting force out of whoever was left standing." The way his eyes twitched involuntarily, I could only imagine what this "training" had included.

"Sounds pretty rough."

"You would've loved it. Instructors screaming at us as they put us through test after blood-curdling test, training with live weapons. One kid broke an arm and a leg falling off a cliff during an exercise. Trainer broke his jaw for screaming."

I nodded, finally understanding a little better how my partner's body could be so messed up with scars, despite his Aura. "Man, you Trappers really sound like a fun group, don't you?"

"Looking back at it, the health plan was a little shitty, to tell you the truth," Joel laughed, reaching for a water bottle he'd had with him. "Anyway, Schnee himself had lost more than his fair share of family and business partners to assassins of the White Fang, and, noticing how effective we were in action, wanted Trappers guarding his legacy in a more personal capacity. Red Hand assigned me and one other Trapper as Weiss and Winter Schnee's bodyguards, respectively."

"So what'd you do? Screwed her, and got run off by Daddy?" I asked, breaking out into a fit of giggles as he spluttered, pulling off a perfect spit take, before looking at me red faced.

"What the actual _fuck,_ Max!?"

"What!? It was just a question! Can't imagine why else she'd be this pissed at you. So, you bone her or not?"

" _NO!_ She was like fourteen at the time!"

"You were fifteen. Age gap wasn't too out there."

He schooled himself back into some measure of calm, though his cheeks were still flushed scarlet. " _Nothing_ happened, alright? Her sister might've had fun with my partner, if his bragging was any indication, but as for me and Weiss, we kept it strictly professional. The higher-ups didn't want Schnee to bother them about assigning a fifteen-year-old boy to watch over his youngest daughter, so they ordered me not to take off my mask, distort my voice, and let my height do the rest. Pulled that off for about four months."

"Still doesn't answer what you did, though," I reminded him. "Can't tell if she's scared, or mad at you."

"Aside from acting like I didn't know her when we first got here... I also killed someone in front of her, once." He sounded guilty, looked it too.

"What, like stone cold murdered a guy?"

"Not really, I suppose. It was self-defense. A White Fang agent attempted to kill her after one of her singing concerts as we made for the car. I... stopped him, to say the least. I'm pretty sure it freaked her out. A few days later, I'm shifted back to a more active role on the Mistral Border, though it wasn't like I cared much at the time. Was tired of playing babysitter anyway, going 'Miss Schnee this,' and 'Miss Schnee that.'"

"Can't have been too bad."

"Think about Weiss as she is now, then imagine her three years younger, a hell of a lot more entitled, and with no Ruby around to act as a conscience, and you'll have a pretty good understanding of my life at the time."

"Ouch." I shuddered looking at our friends.

_'Yeah, I suppose they are my friends. Except for kitty girl, though Yang seems pretty cool.'_

The blonde hadn't asked me if she could feel my ears yet, so that was a bonus for her, at least one more than Ben. Bastard had scratched behind them as a joke a few weeks back, and was still teasing me about the sound I'd let out. Wasn't my fault; it felt nice!

 _'Asshole.'_ I mentally hissed as I glared at the sharpshooter, who at the moment was running some stress tests on the arm.

"You know, you should talk to her," I said after a moment. "Weiss, I mean. You should try talking to her about this."

"I've thought about it since the truth came out, but it's sort of an awkward topic. Can't even tell if she's more scared of me than angry, or the other way around."

"Take it from me that it's probably a good mix of both," I explained, leaning my axe against the side of the bench. "She's got the disadvantage of knowing exactly what you were like before, and is coming to grips with who you are now. Doesn't help that you've probably been some monster in her nightmares for a while, either. Or that you're still antagonizing her."

"Sorry. Her attitude always did get to me. Sarcasm was a good coping mechanism for when she'd explode over something as small as walking too close behind her in public, or slouching in front of guests, not that anyone wanted to look at me. The uniform we wore was pretty intimidating...!"

I hit him across the head this time with a loud thump, shutting his rant off at the source.

"Forget all of that, dumbass! If you want her to start being nice, well, her version of nice, anyway, you have to reassure her that you've changed. It's going to take a while, but if you work hard at it, she should lighten up around you, eventually."

"Wow..." he muttered under his breath, shocked.

"What?"

"That was... actually some pretty decent advice, Max. Never thought you were much into the whole other people's feelings thing. Thank you."

I grinned widely, shooting him a thumbs up. "Don't feel too bad. Women just get these sorts of things. Not your fault."

"You do realize this doesn't excuse you wrecking that fountain, right? I'm the one paying for it, after all."

"Fuck you, Ambrose..."

* * *

**(The Next Morning)**

" _MAX! EVERYTHIN' ALRIGHT!?_ " Ben shouted over the roaring engine, as I clutched the safety rail for dear life, as I had been the last two hours. I felt my heart stop a few times as the Bullhead soared over the forested valley hundreds of feet below. " _YOU'RE WHITE AS A SHEET!_ "

" _SHUT UP! I'M FINE!_ " I called back, shooting him a dirty look, to which he just shook his head irritably, returning to his hushed conversation with the pipsqueak, fingers in rapid motion.

_'Stupid, stupid mission! Who thought flight was a good idea, anyway!? People don't fly! Well, some Faunus might have wings, I suppose, but regular people don't fly!'_

My eyes darted to Ambrose, who stood still as a statue, reading the final mission details from his Scroll as the whole cabin shook around him.

_'How's he doing that!?'_

Our leader was wearing his usual combat gear, along with a small backpack of gear Ozpin had thought we'd need. I was actually somewhat thankful for the near earsplitting noise assaulting my senses, if it meant the others couldn't hear my small whimpers every time I glanced over the edge.

 _"Heads up, kiddos!"_ the pilot's voice rang out over the intercom. _"We'll be coming up on the site in just a minute! We hope you've had a pleasant trip, and would like to thank you for flying Air Beacon!"_ The voice cut out with a loud static hiss as the aircraft dipped fast, screaming towards the ground.

 _' **WHO HIRED THIS SHITHEAD!?** ' _my mind screamed as I shut my eyes, voice caught in my throat along with my breakfast. It was shaky, but soon enough the nightmare ended as the VTOL leveled out, coming to a halt on the ground with one last rattle.

_"Whew, close one... Shit, I-I mean good job! Perfect landing; just perfect! You all did fantastic!"_

"Max?... We're on the ground. You can let go, now," Joel's voice said calmly from my right.

I opened my eyes, looking around as the rest of my team watched me curiously. I glanced up, finally noticing that I'd been gripping the railing tight enough that I'd warped the metal strut, almost snapping it in two. I quickly pulled my hand away, leaping off the aircraft onto the most beautiful patch of land I'd ever seen, overlooked by an enormous mountainside devoid of any greenery. We'd managed to land on the edge of the work site, just inside the highly reinforced fence that was meant to keep Grimm from getting in. I could make out different types of machinery, along with a long series of makeshift buildings that must've been offices or housing.

"Alright, kiddos," the pilot, a helmeted man not much older than us by his voice, stepped from the cockpit looking towards Joel, tossing a small device to the Huntsman-in-training. "Be careful out here. That device there will act as a signal, letting me know your approximate location. If for some reason whatever caused this is too much to handle, pull the pin, press the red button, and I'll be here within minutes to try and extract you. You only get one." He held up a finger for emphasis. "So don't cry wolf on me for no reason, got it? Good. I'll be back around nightfall for the return trip. Don't vanish on me, okay?"

"Sure thing," Joel replied, placing the device in his pocket.

"Repeat it to me."

"Don't pull the pin unless it's an emergency, and be back before dark. Want me to report that landing to Ozpin once we get back, smartass?" I said harshly, glaring daggers at him. The man must've gotten the message, because he practically ran back into the cockpit and took off without a moment's delay.

"You know, you should be nicer to pilots. They're the ones pulling our asses out of the fire, if something goes wrong," Joel chided sternly, glancing around at the work site, examining every square inch of the place.

"You really want that guy saving our asses?" I muttered under my breath, earning one last sharp look as Joel stepped forward to assign us roles.

"Alright, Ben, Reika, examine the work area. Max and I will cover residential. Sound off on the Scroll if you see anything suspicious. And stick together. We don't want to end up like the people here."

"It's only been over a week," Ben reminded him, staring off at the machinery around the work site. "Did these guys have any security drones, or anythin' like that?"

"Nope. Apparently, this mine wasn't doing so well, so the SDC decided that security bots were a waste of resources to send out here for a bum mine because of the maintenance. Instead, they just hired mercenaries headed up by one of their security heads of staff."

"So no one else has been here but us and that first team?"

"Not exactly. Ozpin gave me an updated file before we left. Seems Schnee Dust didn't want to depend on just us, and sent another survey team after the first one went missing about three days back. Guess who else we're looking for?" Joel said, holding up his Scroll. "There hasn't been any particularly bad weather or anything else, so whatever did happen should still have some kind of trail. Report in every ten minutes or so, so we know the other is okay, or if you find a live subject. We'll meet up in front of the mine in one hour. Break."

From there, we combed every inch of the site. Joel and I searched through each of the housing set ups and offices, every one of them deserted. It was as if the occupants had just... vanished, like right off the face of Remnant. We'd even found the SDC aircraft situated near the outskirts a little down from where we'd landed. It was untouched, but with no signs of the crew. The only potential clue were faint sets of tracks leading to and from the mine, but that was hardly surprising. They did work there, after all.

"No sign of a struggle anywhere," Joel wondered aloud as we moved to the mine itself. "You smell anything?"

"Like I said when we first started, I haven't picked up a thing..." I growled, irritably rubbing my nose. "Rotting food, old sweaty clothes, a lot of dirt. But no people at all."

Joel nodded, glancing around at the empty buildings. "Let's hope the other two had more luck in the last few minutes."

The first thing I noticed was was the large hole drilled into the side of the mountain, almost like a train tunnel. A large amount of machinery, such as drills, dozers, and cranes, as well as office stations for supervisors, outhouses and changing areas were present. All of it was organized neatly around the face of the mine. Ben and Reika leapt down from one of the large drills, Carson scrubbing his hands clean of grease.

"You two find anythin'!?"

"No people, and the offices and housing is deserted. The Schnee aircraft's logs said it had flown here from just outside Vale, but it hasn't moved since."

"People don't just vanish." Ben tossed the rag back into the machine's cabin.

"It's not Grimm. The fence is still intact, and the tracks are all from either the miners or the machinery," Joel wondered, crossing his arms, face deep in thought before looking up at our two teammates. "Hate to ask this of you two, but you'd probably know best. Was this...?"

"Bandits?" Ben finished for him, shaking his head along with Reika. "We thought that too, at first, when we didn't see any other tracks. But there's still no sign of a struggle. Plus there's a few other glarin' points."

"Such as...?" Joel urged him on.

"Well, I checked the machines. If this really _was_ a bum mine, then the only appealin' booty worth sackin' the place, and gettin' rid of the workers for, would be the Dust cores powerin' the place. They're rare, and worth a lot in certain parts if you find the right buyer. Problem is, though, none of those are missin'. Only stuff that's gone was the stuff in the spare storage area, but it can't have had enough to warrant this."

"Could they have just killed the miners for shits and giggles?" I wondered aloud, earning an appalled look from the former bandits. "What?" I asked hesitantly.

"No self-respectin' bandit would do that," Ben said, voice hard. "We might be criminals, but we're also businessmen out to make a profit. They wouldn't just leave a valuable take like Dust cores, especially if they had to fight for it hard enough, that it necessitated killin' everyone to get it. Even if we're talkin' terrorists or raiders, then why would they bother hidin' the bodies and clearin' up, or stickin' around for survey crews this long? Makes no sense."

"You're right. It doesn't," Joel agreed, looking off towards the mine. "The tracks lead in there. You guys check it out?"

"Wanted to wait for you two. Reika's _Sense_ only tracks Aura so well like a radar, signal gets caught, especially through those tunnels. She'd have to get close to be sure of anything." He stared at the mine. "Plus, I have a tendency to avoid going into really dark, really scary places where I can't see like this without back up."

"Fine. You're a pussy; we get it. Let's just check it out so we can get this over with!" I called out, marching off towards the opening, thoroughly tired of this boring mission that I'd had to endure a nerve rattling flight for, with no Grimm, action, or anything else remotely fun. Something about this place just felt wrong, like every sense in my body wanted me to get a hundred miles away.

"Stupid, dumb, boring assignment. Ozpin's way of shutting us in the middle of nowhere for a day. To get us out of his hair, most likely. Forget him, and his stupid... _OH SHIT!_ "

I backed away at the mouth of the cavern, scrambling away from a large device hidden behind a pile of stones stacked just inside.

" _What!?_ " My team scrambled in behind me, Joel and Reika with their weapons drawn, before backing off just as I had.

"Max... You know about this stuff. What are we looking at here?" Joel asked absently, approaching what was obviously a hastily rigged together mining charge, which wasn't in itself too dangerous. What really worried me was the four large Dust batteries welded to the blast casing, shimmering with red and yellow light as the gaseous material floated in a fluid suspension. I'd made little cherry bombs out of spare Dust rounds, but this... This was...

"It's a bomb. A _big_ bomb," I said in utter fascination, as I examined the inner workings. "A really, _really_ , _big_ bomb."

"No shit... What are we talking here, though?" he said, with a touch of annoyance and fear.

"You could blow up the whole goddamn world with this thing..." I said leaning in, enraptured in just how much simple destruction was in such a tiny package... Well, the thing was about the size of a large couch, but in regards to what it could do...

"Max!"

"Well, you could at least blow up about half of this mountain. Whoever was rigging this up knew what they were doing..." I stood up, rapping my fist against the casing, causing everyone else to jump back, swearing. "It's okay, you big babies!" I reassured them all, chuckling to myself. "The guy who built this was good, but he didn't finish it. There's no blast fuse or detonator, so unless you shoot or blow something up to disrupt one of these Dust cores, this thing's just a huge paperweight."

I grinned as Ben took a nervous step back. I could make out what looked to be grenades hanging off a bandolier on his chest, which were little side projects I'd helped him design over the week. Nothing like this monster next to me, but enough to set it off, definitely.

" _Really!?_ How 'bout a warnin' next time, Bitch!?" Ben swore under his breath as clutched at his heart, breathing heavily. "Fuckin' hell!"

"Well, least we know where the spare storage cells went..." Joel exhaled, still watching the bomb nervously. "That answers one question, though now we have to find out why someone patched this thing together in the first place..."

"Well, only..." I started, before catching a glimpse of movement from the corner of my eye, a flash of auburn hair darting deeper into the tunnel. "Hey, something just moved over there!" I pointed at the cave's mouth, drawing everyone's attention as they stared down the darkened hole, weapons raised. Ben had a small silver paring knife he'd drawn from a pouch on his belt, rifle still perched over his shoulder.

"Back off!" I snapped, as I stepped in front of the weapons, glaring at each of them. "It was a kid! A little girl, by the looks of it."

"...I don't see anyone, kid or otherwise," Ben said, eyes glowing green as his Aura enhanced his vision. Reika flashed him a few signs.

_'I really need to learn that bitch's little language.'_

"Good question. What _would_ a kid be doin' at a work site like this?"

"One of the miner's kids, maybe?" I countered, relieved that they had at least lowered their weapons.

_'Why do I care so much?'_

"The miners didn't bring family out here," Joel shot back as he walked up beside me, trying to make out anything in the pitch blackness. "You're sure you saw something?"

"Positive." I'd definitely seen something.

_'Then why couldn't I smell it, or the little bitch sense it?'_

"She probably got scared when you guys pointed your weapons at her!"

"Shit... Either way, we have to check this out, kid or no kid. If someone's down there, they'll know what happened," Joel muttered, slinging the pack off of his shoulder, opening it, and passing us each a flashlight, as well as a small gun-like device, complete with little ammo mags. "Those are paint guns, according to Ozpin. The ammo marks a surface with a glowing Dust-treated paint. Use it to mark where we've been, so we don't get lost down here. But make sure you don't use up every shot. We only have enough for two mags, each."

"Ah, Ozzy, that beautiful bastard," Ben said relieved, as he took one of the guns, before looking down at it with a nervous smile. "Don't imagine this is one of those times where we can avoid doin' this, and just say we didn't find anything?"

"Believe me, I'm starting to wish it was..." Joel agreed stonily, placing his weapon back in it's holster. "Lets just stick together, and kill anything not Faunus or Human with extreme prejudice. Understood?" We all nodded once. I had my nose, so I kept my flashlight and gun on my belt, instead opting to extend _Cerberus_ and split it into it's bladed submachine gun form.

_'Extreme prejudice. Got it.'_

I led the way into the mine, trying to ignore the fact that every animal instinct ingrained in my DNA was screaming in defiance.

_'What have we gotten ourselves into?'_

-END


	11. THE THINGS GRIMM FEAR

THE THINGS GRIMM FEAR

**_-Reika Murasaki-_ **

"I ever tell you guys how much I _hate_ caves?..." Ben said, for what was probably the dozenth time since we'd entered five minutes ago. "'Cause...!"

"'You really hate caves?' Yeah, you mentioned that!" Maxine growled, cutting him off and shooting him a withering glare. "Now kindly _SHUT THE FUCK UP!_ " Her voice rang off the cavern walls as she squealed in pain, bringing her arms up to try and block her ears. " _SHIT!_ "

"Well, if anything's down here, thanks a lot for letting them know we're coming," Joel muttered as rubbed his own ears gingerly. "Keep it down, will you?"

I had always wondered why his hearing was better than most Humans. Trapper sensory training, he'd said, though what exactly that entailed, I had no clue.

I nudged Ben gently on the arm, giving him a warm look as I placed my marker in the crook of my arm. _"I'm **here,** Ben. This isn't like the Badlands. You're not alone," _ I signed to him.

Years ago, a few months after I'd joined Bill's gang, Ben had gotten caught in a cave-in, trapping him in darkness for several hours while I ran back to the camp at a full sprint. I had tried to convey what had happened to the rest of the gang, in some twisted game of charades. He'd been physically unharmed by the experience, but dark and enclosed spaces continued to terrify him to this day.

 _"I'm alright... Thanks, Rei,"_ he motioned back, unloading another shot of Dust paint on the wall with a loud click. _"You okay? Sense anything?"_

_"No, nothing. Certainly not a child, like the Dog Faunus is suggesting."_

He frowned, glancing at the other girl leading our little march. _"It doesn't feel like she's lyin', though..."_

 _"I'm still not sensing anything, Ben."_ I shook my head, ending the conversation as we neared the end of the tunnel. _"It's just... empty."_

"What the hell?" Max gaped at a large crack in the stone wall that was large enough to drive a car through, but distinctly different from the rest of the shaft. "I think there's a whole other section through here..." She peered in, smelling at the air before drawing her head back coughing. "And it's big. A whole series of them running beneath the mountain."

"Great!" Ben grimaced, throwing his arms up in exasperation before slouching forward. " _More_ caves. Just my _fuckin_ ' day!"

"Stow it, Carson!" Argus muttered, marching through the crack, before poking her head back out to stare at us. "Well?... Are you guys coming in, or not? Cavern's aren't gonna search themselves, y'know."

"Anyone else have a bad feelin' about this?" Ben asked, looking at us all nervously as Joel brought out his Scroll, checking the settings. "Well, alright... Guess it's just me, then."

Joel swore, shutting the Scroll off angrily. "My Scroll barely has any signal, so any communication will be choppy at best. We'll move together, then. We'll check the cavern out by sections, and see if we find anything," he explained, putting the device back in his bag. "It's going to take a while, depending on how deep these go, but we'll go as far as we can until the ship gets back."

"Why not just split...?" Max started, but Ben interrupted her with a sharp stare, daring her to say what she intended.

"How about _fuck_ that idea?"

Max groaned in exasperation, hitting her head against the wall. "This cavern splits off, though who knows how many times!? We'll be done sooner if we just..."

"He's right." Joel stepped in between them. "We're not splitting up. At least not completely, anyway. There's no idea what's down here." He pointed to me and Ben, gesturing to the new series of caverns. "First split we see, you guys head right. Me and Max will head left. That way, we can get it done twice as fast, and we both groups have someone who can tell where the other group's at. Max, you smell Grimm or anything else out of the ordinary, tell me. Reika, you sense anything or feel that we're in trouble, tell Ben, and we'll meet up when we can. That satisfy everyone?"

We all nodded, though Ben still seemed nervous. "I'd be satisfied with gettin' out of this damn pit, and back into the fresh air," he muttered under his breath just low enough for me to hear, but still avoid the other two's hearing. I nodded almost imperceptibly, though I could tell he still caught the gesture.

The Faunus girl had been right about one thing: the cavern did stink. The smell was like something old and musty had died long ago, almost nauseating, even through my face mask. Soon enough, within minutes, we came to our first cross roads, one leading further down on the right, the other leading at a slight incline on the left.

"Well, looks like this is it..." our leader sighed worriedly. "Remember to mark walls, and keep an eye out for anything suspicious, no matter how small. Whatever got those miners could very well still be in here. If it's Grimm, tear it apart. If it's a body, well... Call it in."

 **" _RIGHT!_ "** Max and Ben cried out. I just nodded an affirmative as we split off, Ben and I climbing upwards, while Joel and Max continued their descent.

"...What made these, do you wonder?" the rogue asked, scraping his hand along the wall. "This ain't natural... The walls are too smooth. Someone or somethin' built this..." I closed my eyes wearily. He was just talking to himself for comfort. It wasn't like I could reply in this darkness without awkwardly angling the light to catch my hands. "Must've taken years, if not..."

I frowned as his voice suddenly cut off mid-sentence, his light disappearing as well. _'Ben!?'_ I spun around, but the blonde was nowhere in sight. There was just an empty expanse of tunnel. _'He was right behind me! What...!'_

A loud crash split the air around me, followed by a blood-curdling howl. It was so loud... but somehow familiar... Burning trees, smoke, screams...

I broke out into a desperate run, looking around for signs of the Dust paint, but finding none. Just the same stretch of endless gray-black stone. _'But Ben was painting the wall, right!? I saw him do it!'_ Had I moved? Somehow gone down a side tunnel? _'No, impossible! Ben would've seen...!?'_

"Reika-chan..." a soft melodic voice rang down the tunnel, a voice I knew, a voice that had seared itself into my brain.

_'... **Grandmother!?** '_

* * *

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

"You know, you need to lay off Ben..." I said as an aside to the Faunus, who had been grumbling under her breath the whole time since we'd split up from the others. "I get it; things haven't been as fun for you as you thought, with no small Grimm for you to torture. Doesn't give you an excuse for harping on him."

"Not my fault he's such a whiner... 'Oh, I'm Ben Carson, and I don't like caves, so I'm gonna keep on blubberin' and not just grow a set!...'" she said in a mock deep voice, mimicking the sharpshooter's accent, before her face twisted into a scowl as she held her weapons loosely at her sides. "You know, the second I actually start thinking the guy has some balls for standing up to Kaplan the way he did, he turns around and starts bitching about it being too dark!"

I sighed, unloading another shot onto the wall as we moved along, paint bursting in a wide splatter. "So he doesn't like the dark. Big deal. At least he can ride on a VTOL without having a heart attack."

Her ears perked up as she looked around, teeth bared. "S- _shut up!_ I don't have a problem with fucking airships!"

_'Oh, so I've touched a nerve, there, did I?...'_

"Didn't say anything about airships... Heights, then? Was wondering why you were so pale during the climb up to Ozpin's office..." I smirked as the girl turned bright red.

"I said _SHUT UP!_ " We both winced as her shout rebounded through the cave painfully. "Damn it!"

"Sorry... Truce?..." I apologized ruefully, rubbing my ringing ear gingerly. _'Fucking Trapper senses...'_

I looked up at her, her face still bright red as she worked on tying her cascade of hair into a manageable ponytail. "I'm serious, though. You guys seem to get along at least some of the time. I'm not asking you to be best friends, or anything. Just work together."

"Fine... Let's just get this done, already. The thought of Cat Girl and Blondie living it up at Forever Fall, while I'm rotting in a dank, foul-smelling... Huh?" She sniffed at the air curiously, closing her eyes tightly. "...Something's up ahead."

"Is it the kid you saw?"

She screwed up her face, nose twitching furiously, "No, it's something... _Dead..._ And dried blood?" Her eyes snapped open, suddenly, as she broke into a sprint down the tunnel.

" _MAX, WAIT!_ " I cried after her, but she was already fast leaving me behind, already near the edge of my light.

 _'Damn it!'_ I cursed mentally as I ran after her. My nose may have been nowhere near as good as hers, but even I was starting to pick up a foul-smelling odor. It didn't help that I was now having to move carefully to avoid loose rocks and gravel littering the floor...

 _'Wait... That's new.'_ Ever since we'd entered this cavern, the entire thing had been remarkably clear of debris, even more so than the mine had been.

"Max! Wait up!" I just kept moving after her, shouting for her to stop. Before long, I found myself staring into a roughly dug-out stone wall covered in black patches and streaks, with no Faunus in sight. The smell at this point was also nigh unbearable.

Swearing loudly, I swung the light around, searching for any other connecting tunnels, but finding none. _'She was right in front of me! How did...!?'_

I felt my foot brush against something draped across the floor. Shining the light at the ground, I illuminated at least a dozen clothed, desiccated figures, all Faunus of some variety, lying on the ground, with rotted eye sockets staring back at me emptily.

" _FUCK!_ " I covered my nose and mouth with my arm, backing away quickly from the rotting figures. _'W-what the **hell!?** '_

Taking a deep breath, I moved closer to examine the bodies. I noticed instantly that were all wearing variations of the same uniform. _'Guess these are a few of the miners...'_ I noted distastefully, prodding the closest with my foot. _'Doesn't explain where the others went, though... What could've...?'_

That's when I noticed their hands, or, more accurately, what was left of them. The skin on each of their fingers had been worn away, most of them down to the bone. I glanced from the injuries, and then to the dirtied wall. Slowly, realization dawned on me in horrified clarity.

I pulled my Scroll from my bag hurriedly, some of the contents spilling on the ground in my haste. "Guys, I found some of the miners! They're all dead!" I said firmly into the device, hoping against hope that the signal was getting through. "Max's pulled a disappearing act! Is anyone...!?"

A patter of footsteps clattered from behind me, cutting me off. "Max?... Max, where did you...!?" I turned around, shining my light in front of me, ready to chew out the Faunus... but froze at who I saw. Instead of my partner, like I was expecting, I was face-to-face with a young black-haired girl, maybe nine or ten years old. She stepped from the shadows, wearing a grungy hoodie and jeans.

 _'No... **No!...** This is **impossible!** You **can't** be here!'_ I took a step back, feeling my stomach clench.

"Why?..." the girl asked, scratching at a pair of black bear-like ears, staring at me with a confused, horrified expression etched on her face. "Why did you hurt Daddy?... _Why!?_ "

" _NO!_ " I took another step back, falling to the ground as my leg got caught on one of the miners, now wearing a White Fang uniform, in my attempt to get away, eyes fixed on the child in front of me as a rivulet of red ran down her chest. "No, you... You're not here! You _can't_ be here; I saw you die!" I cried, to which she only smiled.

* * *

**_-Maxine Argus-_ **

"Ambrose!?" I looked back as my partner's light vanished, plunging the space back into total darkness. " _AMBROSE!?_ "

 _'He was right behind me, wasn't he!?'_ Did that idiot walk down the wrong tunnel? _'No... I didn't notice any other caverns.'_ Glancing around, I noticed I couldn't make out any of the green marks along the wall. I couldn't smell them, either...

_'Did I move?...'_

Suddenly, the shadows around me seemed to blend and shift around me, skewing my sense of balance, and sending me toppling to the hard stone. _'What the...'_ I tried to get to my feet, but I just couldn't seem to find the ground. Even my sense of smell failed me, the cavern's scent fading, only to be replaced by...

Bursts of color exploded through the darkness, shaping itself, until suddenly, I found myself sitting on a tuft of grass at the edge of a large lake. A wide sketchbook sat open in my hands as the park formed around me.

 _'I know this place...'_ I thought blankly, taking in the sight of the rippling tide lapping at the edges of the lake's shore. _'Lysander's Lake in Mistral... Why was I...'_ I flinched as a sudden ache split my skull, keeping me from remembering what I'd been doing before I came here.

"Maxine? Ah, there you are!" I stood up, smoothing the wrinkles out of the white sundress I wore as a heavily accented voice called out to me. An older woman, sporting short dark hair and beautiful hazel colored eyes, wearing a dress similar to mine, stepped from the sidewalk and approached me. "I swear, ever since you came home from that awful Huntsman school, you've done nothing but scare me half to death."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Mom..." I told her, grinning as she caught me up in a bone crushing hug. "Anyway, I told Dad where I'd be."

"You told me you wanted to work on some sketches..." a tall, heavily-muscled man said in a rough voice as he ran up to us panting, glaring at me with crimson-colored eyes. He had shoulder-length auburn hair, the same color as my own, drawn back in a short ponytail, with a pair of dog-like ears sticking above his hair. "You didn't mention that you were heading to the other side of the lake!"

"I'm fine, Dad," I said in an exasperated groan as he caught me up in a hug of his own. "I like this part of the lake."

"Still..." He frowned, until he caught sight of the sketchbook in my hand, his face lighting up immediately. "So you've been busy, I see. What masterpiece has my little artist churned out, this time?"

I felt my face redden at his praise as I looked down at the canvas. _'What?'_

It was a detailed picture what looked to be a robotic prosthetic arm, drawn out in incredible detail. Servos, gears, wires, and all.

I thought for a split second that my dad's face darkened angrily as he peered over my shoulder. However, when I turned around, he had his familiar smile shining on his face. "Wow, Maxi. That's certainly... different."

_'What the...?'_

"I don't know why I drew it... It just popped into my head..." I stared down at the drawing, face twisted in thought. "I know I've seen it before..."

"I think I remember seeing a magazine about it in Dr. Aetius' office..." my mother added, taking a closer look at the arm. "Yes, that was it. A lot of those medical journals are raving about it. You must've seen the image on the cover of one during your sessions, what with him having them spread all over the place."

"Yeah... I guess so. It must be," I said slowly, nodding to myself.

_'Then why does it seem so familiar?...'_

* * *

**_-Benjamin Carson-_ **

" _REIKA!? Reika, where the hell are you!?_ " I called out in a panicked tone as I sprinted down the tunnel, shooting the wall with those damn pellets as my eyes darted left and right, looking for any sign of my partner.

 _'Psycho, Bitch, **anyone!** Give me someone I know, dammit!' _ My legs suddenly got caught on something heavy, sending me crashing to the stone floor, with the paint gun skittering away from me with a loud clatter.

" _Agh!_ " I grit my teeth, shaking out my throbbing limbs. "...Calm down, Ben, c'mon! Aura up!" I sighed as the familiar emerald glow shimmered along my skin, dulling the sharp pain to a dull throb.

_'Dark can't get me... Not if I don't let it.'_

"Benjamin..." A kind, comforting voice wafted down the corridor, accompanied by a familiar perfume... that of wild flowers and grass.

My hand shot to the stock of my rifle, keying a small button that revealed a hidden compartment, containing a short-barreled revolver. I brought the weapon up quickly, as a tan-skinned woman wearing blue jeans and a white button-up shirt seemed to materialize from the darkness, blonde hair drawn back in a tight series of braids that ran down her lower back, her bright blue eyes gazing down at me tenderly. "I told you to not to run around so much. You'll hurt yourself."

"...M... Mama?..." I muttered breathlessly, lowering the shaking gun slightly, eyes wide as I got to my feet, staring at the women in disbelief.

She smiled widely, flashing a pair of shiny white teeth my way. "Honestly, no wonder Ma says you'll give her a heart att... _AH!_ "

A loud bang blew through the cavern, as the explosive Dust round tore its way through her chest, blasting a hole directly where her heart would be. I moved over to where she lay, face contorted in fury as I blew smoke from the barrel, robotic finger on the trigger. She was still alive, stirring weakly as she held her hands to her bleeding chest, eyes tearing up in agony as I stood over her.

" _Why!?_ " she coughed, sending a fresh spatter of blood on the now red-stained shirt. "W-why would you...?"

" _Shit..._ You really aren't her, are you?" I growled angrily, bringing the weapon to bare, still shaking with wrathful fury. "Knew I wasn't that lucky... I dunno what you are, but you chose the exact wrong _fuckin'_ thing to shove in my face, right now!"

The creature wearing my mother's face, whatever it was, tried to say something else, but I silenced it with another shot straight to the chest, putting it out of its misery. As soon as it was dead, the entire cavern seemed to lighten up around me, shadows that I'd barely noticed seeming to recede from view.

 _'So it was all this thing's fault..._ ' I realized, looking back down at the creature as I wiped at some of the blood that had splattered on my clothes, noting with a raised eyebrow that the stains were quickly vanishing.

Instead of the body that had lain there before, there was now a tall, vaguely human-shaped creature, with long slender limbs tipped with needle-like claws. The creature's face was covered with a skull-shaped bone mask, marked with blood red symbols, marking it as a Creature of Grimm. Pale white tentacles stuck out from beneath the mask, where the skull's mouth would be. The most unsettling thing about it, however, was its skin, which seemed to sag and flutter like a dark cloak. I shifted my focus away from its body the longer I looked, but even with the flashlight on, I could already see it starting to dissolve as all Grimm did.

"Well, you're a creepy bastard, aren't ya? Stink, too..." I knelt down next to the thing, tapping it with my gun. Funny how I hadn't noticed it before. "Now where'd you put me?" Glancing around, I realized that I couldn't make out any of the green marks I'd shot along the wall. Just dark, bland walls stretching on and on, one dead Grimm, and...

I shined the light back towards where I'd fallen, before jumping back to my feet with a small yelp. A desiccated body lay against the wall. It was a Faunus, judging from the torn pair of cat-like ears sticking out of what was left of his hair. There were four thin stab wounds marked on his chest.

 _'One of the miners...'_ I realized, taking a closer look at his uniform. _'Looks like he went down fightin', at least.'_

A small glint of metal caught my attention as I angled the light, catching sight of an official-looking Scroll clutched in one hand, and heavy looking pistol in the other. I took a deep breath, before taking hold of the Scroll.

"Sorry, buddy..." I apologized to the corpse as I pried the fingers open, feeling slightly ill as stiff flesh cracked under the metal force of my hand, before pulling the device from its grip. Luckily, the tool miraculously still had power, lighting up after a few seconds. I scanned its contents, which were mostly charts and figures, though I did stumble across a few video entries that were highlighted.

_'According to the stamp, these were filmed days before the SDC lost communication...'_

Pressing play, I waited patiently, until a burly man with a thick mustache, and close shaved blond hair, appeared on the screen. He was standing in one of the office set ups. Judging from the heavily padded uniform he was wearing, it was safe to say this person had been no miner.

 _"This is Head of Security for Schnee Dust Company Mining Site #1340, Harold Marshal..."_ the man said in a gruff voice, bowing his head respectfully towards the camera. _"Today at 0730, miners opened up a crack leading to a series of caverns unconnected with our current operations here. We cleared the mine for any Grimm activity, as per standard protocol, but found nothing. At the moment, we've ordered the workers to stay out of the caverns, and restrict themselves to the residential areas while we investigate further. We have high hopes, sir. Perhaps this mine **will** yield some profit, after all."_

I flipped to the next message, dated a few days after the first. Harold's face appeared once again, though this time something was certainly off. The man looked as if he hadn't slept for days. Dark circles were under his eyes, and he was in heavy need of a shave. _"Mr. Schnee, sir..."_ Even the man's voice was haggard; raspy. _"Today we lost track of three more miners... The rest of the Faunus don't want to go into the mines anymore. And that old cat you put in charge, Bastet? He's got everyone in a frenzy over shadows in the caves. I know you said you wanted us to push them, but the men are **tired.** They're seeing things..." _ The man paused for a second, clutching at his head in apparent discomfort. _"Sir... I saw Margaret in the mines during inspection, just standing in the shadows watching me... But that can't be right, can it, sir? I mean, you gave me that gift basket after her accident. Such a nice card... We put a body in the ground... Were you lying to me, sir? Was everyone lying to me? **Is my wife in the caves right now, waiting for me!?** "_

The video cut off abruptly as I shook my head, thoroughly creeped out.

The next video showed a different man, thin with red hair slicked back, and clean-shaven. I also noticed he wasn't looking much better than Harold had in the last message. _"This is Edward Pembroke, former assistant Head of Security for Schnee Dust Company Mining Site #1340, now acting Head of Security."_ The man sighed, running a hand through his hair nervously. _"Sir, today Harold Marshal disappeared into the newly discovered caverns, along with many of the other workers, all displaying signs of paranoia, and, forgive my candor, sir, **downright fuckin' insanity.** They were gibbering on about their loved ones being kept from them in the caves. Me and Bastet tried our best to calm them down, but some of the security with them had weapons, and threatened to shoot if we didn't let them go in! Since then, we've had no communication with any of them, and more and more are going in every day, not to mention we found one of the crazy fucks trying to mess with our communications, until we drove him into the caverns. Send help please, sir, and a goddamn ride out of this hellhole!"_

' _So, Schnee knew there was somethin' goin' on here... And he **still** wanted us to check it out for him... Damned bastard...' _ I gritted my teeth as I moved on to the last entry in the Scroll.

This time, an old Faunus appeared on the screen, with grey tinging his shoulder-length hair, and the pair of cat ears he possessed. He appeared seated in a chair, looking as if he hadn't bathed or slept in a week, though, unlike the others, still seemed mildly aware of himself. A grim confidence oozed from his amber colored stare. _"Mr. Schnee... or whoever's watching this message right now... **IF** anyone's actually watching these things, based on the answers we've gotten back from our calls for help..." _ the Cat Faunus spat bitterly on the floor. " _My name is Leon Bastet, the Foremen the SDC placed in charge of this little slice of hell. Over the last few days, these things - almost caught one myself - have been systematically influencing the workers and security, drawing them into the series of caves we found. I have no idea why, but I'm the only one left out here... Even now, I hear the voices calling me in. Saw my son yesterday, even though I know fully well that he's in Vacuo right now with his family, not talking to me."_ The old man chuckled sadly, scratching at his cat ears. " _That's how it always starts... I've picked up a few things from the demolitions experts in the thirty-odd years I've worked here, and have rigged up enough Dust to wipe this mountain off the map. Problem is, I don't have the balls to set it off, knowing I'll be caught in the blast... Just one more failure on my part, I suppose... But I won't let those things take me without a fight!"_ He pulled a pistol from his pocket. I then turned to look at the corpse next to me, eyeing the very same pistol clutched in its hand. _"To anyone watching this, do what I couldn't and **bury** these bastards! For all our sakes, Human or Faunus. These things **CANNOT** be allowed to roam free!... And one last piece of advice. The one I caught perished with the sun. If you can escape the cavern with your mind intact, stay in the light, because if dusk falls... then you might as well start praying... Good luck... And for what it's worth... I'm sorry."_

_\- TERMINATE MESSAGES?-_

I switched the Scroll off, and stuffed it in my pocket, giving the corpse one last pitying glance, before pulling my own Scroll, talking as I ran down the corridor as fast as my legs could carry me.

"Psycho! Psycho, are you there!? Something's wrong with these caves! Some kinda Grimm's living in 'em, and got the miners! It'll get us, too, if we don't get the hell outta here! I'm searchin' for Reika now, but I need to know where you guys are!"

" _-my fault..."_ my leader's voice whispered through the speaker through a hiss of static.

"What was that? Joel, I didn't catch that!" I replied, though thankful I'd finally gotten through.

" _All my fault... It's all my fault... I didn't stop it!... **It's all my fault!** "_

I'd never heard Ambrose speak like that... Even after everyone figured out who he was, I'd never heard him talk like this. The rest of his words were drowned out as the signal cut off.

_'Oh shit...'_

"...Bitch, it's Ben! I don't know where you are, but Psycho's goin' nuts, right now!... Bitch!? Maxine, are you there!? Talk to me, call me an idiot, a dumb shit, or anything! _Please!_ " I caught myself, berating myself mentally for just how desperate I sounded. I waited a few seconds, but was met with no response.

"Damn it!" I shouted, coming to a halt, swinging the light around, and looking desperately for any patch of green paint I could. _'Damn it, Max!'_

"Reika! Look, I know you can't answer me, but I know you have your Scroll on! If you can hear me, do somethin'! Tap your Scroll against a fuckin' rock, for all I care! _JUST LET ME KNOW YOU'RE THERE, DAMN IT!_ "

That last bit came out as a shout, the echo ringing off the walls in the ensuing darkness. Still no response... I screamed in frustration, punching the wall with my metal fist, putting a sizable dent in the wall, and shattering the Scroll's casing into a hundred little pieces. I kept running, trying to calm myself down, pistol in hand.

_'Just need to find everyone, knock Psycho out of his little episode, and get his ass towards thinkin' up a solution! Yeah... That sounds good, solid plan me... Shit, I'm pathetic.'_

I cried out in relief as I finally found a trail of shimmering green Dust to follow, meaning I must have been close. ' _Ambrose, you fuckin' beautiful bastard!'_

Unfortunately, it seemed whatever evil held sway in this hole knew that too. " _Ben!?_ "

I froze, turning towards a side passage as Maxine stumbled around a corner, holding her arm gingerly with a look of surprised relief on her face as she caught sight of me.

"Bitch?..." I said hesitantly, weapon still at my side as I pointed my light towards her, illuminating her face.

"Fuck... You won't believe it, Ben, but there were these things! They... They grabbed Ambrose, and dragged him deeper into the caves back there! Stole my weapons, too! I barely got away..." She took a step closer, but halted as I held my pistol up, taking careful aim. "W-what are you...?

"You ain't Max... She wouldn't run from a fight. That sadist wouldn't back down if there was an enemy to fight, and she was still breathin', even with no weapons. And she _definitely_ wouldn't leave someone behind, no matter what she might say to the contrary." I said calmly, eyes fixed on those familiar reddish-brown orbs.

"Ben, what are you saying?..." she said, laughing nervously. "This is a joke, right? Of course I'm me!"

I shook my head. "'Sides..." I said giving her a sly wink and a smirk. "Max's got a mole under her left eye... Missed that little detail, did ya?"

"What!? No she doesn't...!" the creature said, eyes widening as it realized its error, just before my round took its head off with a wet pop, shattering the illusion in a shower of blood and gore.

"Friggin' dumbass..." I frowned just as two more of the creatures, not even bothering to change form, lunged for me, tentacles flailing and claws aimed at my heart. "Max calls me Carson, not Ben..."

I flared my Aura, activating my _Draw_ as the world slowed around me to a crawl, the Grimm moving as if in slow motion. With Aura-enhanced reflexes, my pistol unloaded two perfect head shots before the monsters had even known what happened, dropping them to the ground in ragged heaps. "And you bastards are _way_ too slow."

-END

**-OC Voice Cast Introduced in this Chapter-**

Grandma Murasaki - Maile Flannigan

Conan Argus – Crispin Freeman

Sophia Argus – Lydia Mackay

Abigail Carson – Mary Elizabeth McGlynn

Harold Marshall – Kent Williams

Edward Pembroke – Sonny Strait

Leon Bastet – Christopher R. Sabat

**_A/N: Hey everyone hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter is probably going to end this arc as we try to get back onto the main story. Tried to go for a creepy nightmare motif for these new OC Grimm that at the moment I'm calling Wraith's (Still taking suggestions), friend of mine plays a ton of D &D and told me all about these Mind Flayer monsters from his latest campaign. Got me thinking about how scary an actual Grimm like an Ursa would be physically, though what if there were more sinister kinds of Grimm out here that have other means of hunting people. From there spawned these Grimm that move in the dark and draw you in with things you love or fear, drain you of life, then send you digging away mindlessly expanding their own habitat until you drop. Thought it would also be decent chance to show more about the characters too though frankly I feel like an ass for putting even fictional character against these things. Also going to nip this in the bud and make it perfectly clear that Ben has serious family issues that will be explained at a later date (Also props if you can spot the reference). As always feel free to leave your comments and ideas, they only make the story better._ **

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**Chapter 12: Chapter 12**

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**Edited as of (10/24/16)**

**PB: Da-Awesom-One**

WE TRY TO FORGET

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

"Hurts, doesn't it? The guilt..." the specter asked again, voice cold and callous, sounding alien coming from such a young face. "You joined the Trappers to protect others. Instead, you became the same sort of monster that kills a little girl's father before her eyes..."

My legs collapsed from under me, hands clenched over my ears. "I-I've changed!" I said firmly with as much calm as I could muster, speaking more to myself then to the ghost of the dead girl standing in front of me. "I couldn't prevent your death; I'll never forget that... B-but things are different now! I-I've tried...!"

The child let out a blood-curdling laugh, glaring at me with undisguised hatred. "You've 'changed,' have you? Now you seem to just hunt Grimm, but even now the bloodlust calls to you, doesn't it? You won't be satisfied with such prey for long... Not when those who hurt you and those you love still roam free." Shadowy figures rose up around me, all dressed in bloodied White Fang uniforms, all of them killed at my hand. "You're a killer, Joel Ambrose... Why do you think the Headmaster sent you out here!? You're a weapon; a tool to be aimed by others and set loose..."

"Shut up... Shut up, shut up, _SHUT UP!_ " I cried out in anguish as the specter smiled with a sharp=toothed grin, her tiny hand slowly reaching out towards me.

"No, seriously. Please do," a voice called out from down the tunnel, as a bright light burst into view over the ghost's shoulder. Ben leapt into view, a pistol and flashlight held aloft in his hands, barrel pointed towards me. "All your shouting's startin' to give me a headache!"

He fired once, bullet whizzing past my ear, and impacting with something over my shoulder with a wet splatter. A jolt of pain went through my skull, as something screeched unearthly in pain. Looking behind me as the child and figures disappeared like a heat haze, my body reeled back as I was met with the sight of a twitching human-like creature in place of the Bear Faunus, spasming weakly on the ground.

Ben walked up, gazing at me nervously. "Joel, you alright? I don't know what that thing showed you, but you need to understand it _wasn't real._ " He glanced over my shoulder, grimacing as he shined a light over the corpses lying at the end of the tunnel. "You're okay. It's _gone._ "

"I-it wasn't... Ben?" I stared at him blankly, head still throbbing. "W-what the hell are you...?"

_'Wait... **It wasn't real?** '_

I took another look at the creature's body, noticing the Grimm skull mask standing out in the darkness, even now, tinged red by a bloody hole as the body already started to disintegrate. "...What is this thing?..."

"Some kind of subterranean Grimm that the miners must've dug up..." Ben answered, still eyeing me strangely. I realized that I was still on the ground and scrambled to my feet, shaking myself off. "I found a Scroll on the body of the guy who set up the bomb at the entrance. Turns out he was the last survivor. As for everyone else... Well..." He cocked his head towards the corpses, putting his artificial arm on my shoulder. "These fuckers... They get in your head, make you see things that aren't there, and skew your sense of reality." I noticed his mouth twitch slightly, but didn't remark on it, as my eyes were still fixed on the monster at my feet.

_'It was all a fake... It wasn't real... **SHE** wasn't real!...'_

...But wasn't it? That monster had drawn that sick recreation from somewhere, the doubts in my mind that I'd tried to suppress all these months. This _THING_ had delved its way through my own thoughts, twisting what it had found, and used it to hurt me; to break me. Used **_HER_** against me...

I paused, suddenly aware of the fact that Ben had backed away in alarm, hand drawn back. My Aura was flaring wildly, setting my hair on end, making sparks jump across my limbs, and my eyes glow with a brilliant blue murderous light.

"Hey, Psycho...!" Ben started, but was cut off when a loud keening screech reverberated through the cavern.

Two creatures, identical to the one fastly fading at my feet, scrambled around the corner, eyes glowing crimson in the shadows. Ben let out a hastily muttered curse, fumbling with his light in an attempt to turn around. There was no need, as a silver dagger was extended and already in the air within a second embedding itself in the center of the closest beast's head with a meaty thump, sending it rolling onto the ground in a raggedy heap, and jerking once before falling still.

Its fellow didn't hesitate to leap over its fallen partner, skin folds already shifting, wavering, and blending into the shadows. Its mask, however, was a beat too slow, and presented the perfect target. I moved past Ben in a blur, Aura-enhanced speed bringing me in front of the creature in an instant, as my hand crashed into its head, palm first. My fingers dug into the white bone-like material with enough force to send cracks spreading across its surface.

Letting out a panicked squeal, the monster tried to bat me away, but before it could even raise its claws a heavy pulse of Aura sent it to the ground, synapses fried as electricity coursed through its system. A flicker of movement caught my attention; another one of the creatures having crawled along the tunnel's ceiling dropping down towards me, tentacles flailing claws outstretched. I briefly registered Ben calling out a warning, but my body was already moving on practiced instinct, sidestepping its claws as I angled myself in, catching hold of its neck, and twisting its body in one motion. The Grimm had time to issue a surprised screech just before its neck snapped from the force of its own fall, falling limply over my shoulder, before being dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

Ben stared from me to the three bodies with a look of astonishment etched on his features as I turned back towards him, reaching down to extract my dagger with a brief exhale.

"...I think these creatures probably got to the others as well. Max disappeared after running off this way."

My words snapped him back to reality, judging by the startled jump he did. He then nodded quickly. "Uh... Yeah, I think so, too. Probably what drew her in in the first place, now that I think about it. No wonder Reika couldn't sense her." He shook his head, staring along the walls of the tunnel. "I noticed a few openings and splits as I came through here. I take it you didn't?"

"No. For all we knew, this was just one long tunnel," I murmured in reply, kicking at one of the creatures, anger still not sated, and even more disturbed than before.

_'If the tunnels are this expansive... Just how long have these things been down here? How many people have rotted away digging their holes, until their bodies gave out on them?'_

"...We're putting a stop to this. _Here and now_ ," I growled as I glanced back at Ben, who nodded in agreement, face set. "We're going to find the others and get out of here. Then we're blowing these assholes to hell."

"Sounds good to me, Psycho... Sounds good to me," the rogue replied, reloading his pistol with fresh rounds.

* * *

**_-Benjamin Carson-_ **

"So, Psycho..." I started, flinching as the white-haired Huntsman in front of me shot me a look over his shoulder, eyes still cold as ice. "You, uh... You feelin' alright?"

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, turning back around. _'Okay... Guess not,'_ I thought sadly, staring at my leader's armored back, still thinking back to when I'd first found him.

Whatever these things had shown him had definitely affected him, not that I could blame him. I still shivered as I remembered Mom stepping from the shadows out of nowhere, just as I remembered her all those years ago. The feelings it evoked... Fucking shit. The creature that had attacked me hadn't expected my reaction, so I doubted that it had actually understood my feelings behind the thought, merely going for what would hurt worst.

 _'Still... To see Ambrose breakin' down like that...'_ Whatever that his attacker had shown him must've really got to him.

 _'I saw a glimpse of the Trapper back there, not the Huntsman,'_ I realized with a start. I'd known Ambrose had killed people before. Hell, the guy admitted it to me himself after I met him. It wasn't like he was wearing that collar to be fashionable. _'I guess I never really thought about him actually followin' through with it before.'_

This Ambrose had seen his opponents, and had taken them down with brutal, if clinical, precision. There was no hesitation in his movements, or mercy. I tried to compare the two different sides of my leader I now saw. _'And Bitch said she'd want to fight him at his best...'_ I had to admit she might beat him in terms of fighting Grimm, and her Semblance was powerful, if a bit unstable. But in a no-holds-barred sparring match? Joel could likely take her apart without breaking a sweat.

We encountered little in the way of resistance as we traveled through the winding caves that made up this labyrinth. Any creatures we did find met their end at Psycho's hands, with the same cold efficiency as those before. Occasionally, we would stumble across creatures in a multitude of different shapes and forms, as if confused as to which one to try. Some of them left us snarling in anger, others some somber, or shaken. There were a few interesting cases, however...

"Well, if that's not proof they're gettin' desperate..." I commented to my teammate after a particularly awkward encounter, wiping a stream of blood from my nose, and smearing it across my newly reddened face. "So what'd you see, Boss?"

Ambrose just laughed, face as red as mine as he glanced down at the offending beast's corpse. "Yeah, like I'm gonna tell you."

"Oooh, naughty, naughty boy, Psycho..." I teased, nudging him in the ribs. "Come on, fess up! Who was it? Ice Queen? Ninjette? Blondie?..." I noticed his eye twitch slightly. " _Blondie,_ huh? Hehe, well can't fault you for that one." I punched him in the arm.

"Shut up!" he snapped, shifting uncomfortably.

"What? We need to lighten the mood a bit. anyway, or those fuckers get to win... _Sooooo_ what was she doin'?"

He growled, a thin trickle of blood running down his nose. "Ben, I'm warning you...!"

I cut him off grinning widely, thoroughly enjoying my little game. ' _Need to keep his mind off this shit... Calm him down a bit.'_

"Look, I don't see why you're gettin' so embarrassed, man. Blondie's a _very_ beautiful young woman. And trust me, I should know. Wasn't jokin' when I asked her if she had a twin back then. Now, it's perfectly natural for men to have certain... urges at our age. Nothin' to be ashamed of!"

"I can't believe we're talking about this, right now..."

"Not like you wouldn't have a shot with her, I would think. You're a handsome enough man in the right light, after all..."

" _Stop._ _Talking._ "

"Psycho... Joel... You do realize I won't judge ya if you've never... Y'know..." I motioned with my hands, raising an eyebrow.

Joel tensed suddenly, stopping in place, and slapping a hand over my mouth. He closed his eyes, muttering under his breath just loudly enough for me to hear. "I have, actually. And _no,_ I'm not going to tell your perverted ass about it. Now shut up; I think I heard something..."

I pushed his hand away, but kept silent, drawing on a bit of my Aura to sharpen my senses. Sure enough, I could just make out the sound of laughter, happy and innocent, ringing out from a side passage up ahead.

"Max!" I said, turning to him suddenly. Judging by the look on his face, he'd come to the same conclusion as he drew his weapon. "Think this is another trap?"

"I don't know... But it's the best lead we have, and if we can get her away from these things, she can lead us to Reika. Then we can get the hell out of this hole."

I gritted my teeth and nodded, following him as we ran down the passageway. _' **Please** be alright, Max...'_

* * *

**_-Maxine Argus-_ **

I laughed again along with my mother, as my dad tried and failed to catch the frisbee, leaning back until he was sent flailing to the ground in a heap. "You're such a klutz!" I ran over to him, helping him to his feet.

"Not all of us went to Huntsman school, Maxi," he groaned sheepishly as he wiped grass off his jeans. "And contrary to what you seem to think, not all dogs are great at catch."

"If you're finished getting embarrassed, dear..." Mom called out to us, comfortably seated in the shade underneath a large oak tree. "You still haven't told Maxine about the big news."

"What?" I turned back to my dad, who was smiling widely "What is it? What're you two keeping from me?"

"Well, Maxi..." His eyes shifted towards Mother again, the same warm glow I remembered shined out of them.

 _'...'Remembered?' But he's right here...'_ I frowned, but thought little of the mistake, focusing intently on my father as he placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Things have been improving at work, what with my promotion and all. Plus, your new painting's already attracting buyers, not to mention your gallery."

"Dear..." She gave him a stern glance, signaling him to hurry up.

He shrugged, waving her off. "I'm getting to it, honey. It's called 'build-up;' every good announcement's got one!... Anyway, Maxi, with so many things going well, your mother and I decided..."

"We're having another baby!" Mother said quickly, cutting him off as she got to her feet, and made her way over to where we stood. Dad's Faunus ears drooped in disappointment, probably because he wanted to make a big show of it, like always. I wasn't paying attention, squealing in excitement as I ran over to her, and tackling her in a tight embrace.

"Maxine, control yourself!" she said sternly, though her rebuke lacked its usual bite.

I got off of her quickly, giving her a short apology, before immediately barraging her with questions. " _Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!_ How long have you guys known!? What is it!? Is it a boy!? A girl!? Oh who cares, that's so _great!_ Does Aunt Carmen know!? Do you have any names!?"

My father laughed loudly, patting me on the back. "See? I told you she'd take it well," he chided Mom, scratching at my ears playfully.

"It's just..." I frowned slightly, gazing down at my mom's stomach ruefully. "I thought you two couldn't have anymore kids? You told me Mom's body couldn't take it."

"The doctors have assured me I should be just fine," the older woman replied quickly, likely trying to put my mind at ease. "And just think. In a few months, you'll have a new little one to look after."

"Yeah, I just..." I paused, sniffing at the air as two new scents drew closer. They were foreign, but... somehow familiar. A sharp twinge from that persistent headache that had plagued me since earlier struck again, pain blotting out the thought.

Craning my head over Dad's shoulder I noticed two figures approaching, their features shadowed, and somehow out of focus even in the afternoon sun. My father noticed them too, pushing both Mother and I behind him, teeth bared openly at the new arrivals, his being more canine than my own. I caught sight of a glint of metal, and the telltale whirring of gears as a long staff extended in one of the figure's hands. The other, I noticed, had a pistol clutched at his side. Another shot of pain burned its way through my skull, but I tried to stay centered.

 _'These two are dangerous. They'll hurt my family!'_ Memories of how people, Faunus and otherwise, had treated me and my family sprang to mind, as a voice whispered through it. _'They'll take my family away from me if I don't stop them!_ '

"Dear?..." Mom whispered, voice shaky with fear, but Dad just shook his head.

"Sophie, it's okay. Run, and get Maxine out of here! I'll handle this!" he said, not taking his eyes off of the approaching figures who maintained their position, looking from each other then to me, or at least I think they were.

_' **I'm** the one they want.'_

Had these two seen us playing together, and figured it out on their own?... But why would that matter? Acceptance of Faunus/Human relationships had been on the rise since before I'd left Huntsman Academy and came home... Or was that not true?

_'Damn it, what's **wrong** with me!?'_

Dad stood firm, but couldn't hide his hesitation. He'd trained as a Huntsman, just as I had years ago, but had dropped out due to his family being unable to support him. Beyond that, he had no experience fighting, and was unarmed. _'Wait... Do **I** have experience?'_

"Dad, back off! I'll handle them!" I said confidently, striding past my father, pushing aside his attempts to hold me back easily. I was suddenly aware of two large bladed guns in both hands, my sundress having faded into a pair of torn red jeans, a ragged t-shirt with the crest of a dog head biting on a skull, and a heavy sleeveless flak jacket. I also felt taller and stronger, my body lighter and less sluggish.

 _'Why am I confused? I brought these with us today before we left,'_ my mind decided for me as I held the weapons aloft... _'Wait... I thought I left Huntsman Academy? Must've kept these with me... Though why would I have these on me right now, in any case?'_ The persistent ache made it impossible for me to focus on anything but the current situation. _'Who cares about all that!? Wonder later, protect parents now!'_

The figures leapt into action, darting opposite of each other. The pistol wielding one squeezed off a few shots. I thought initially that he was just firing wildly, until I realized the bullets' intended trajectory.

"Oh no, you don't!" I screamed in anger, barely managing to deflect the bullets before they hit my father, Dust rounds screaming off the axe blade of the gun in my right hand. I returned a spray of fire with my left gun to drive him back, bullets barely missing him as he rolled away. His partner was on a similar course, leaping at my mother with speed that could only have been achieved through Aura, long blades extending from the ends of the staff, thus converting it into a double-edged spear.

_'Cowards! They're targeting my parents to throw me off balance!'_

I spun around, using the momentum to knock away the bladed point just in time, catching him in a lock. "You're fighting me, asshole!" I growled, staring into the figure's unseen eyes, his face still strangely hazy. My opponent kicked away suddenly, throwing me off balance, before lashing out in a series of quick strikes. He seemed hesitant for some reason, his movements slower and weaker than they had been a second earlier.

 _'Is he trying to hold back!?'_ Bastard. Did he think me weak enough that he didn't even need his full strength!? I would show him, gritting my teeth as I drew upon my Aura, and exalting in the rush of power that I directed towards my opponent. Almost immediately, his weapon paused mid-swing, as if caught by an invisible force.

I grinned despite a bead of sweat running down my brow from the exertion. My Semblance: the thing that made me unique. It was what had earned me that scholarship to train as a Huntress in the first place, its power allowing me to manipulate my weapon, as well as the space around me, with ease.

 _'Then why did they let me leave when I'd had enough?'_ a small unbidden voice at the back of my mind, different from the first, asked in confusion. I snapped back to reality, the figure had let go of his weapon, instead drawing back a hand clutching two thin throwing knives, face focused behind me at my parents, who were now clutching one another.

" _I SAID YOU'RE FIGHTING **ME,** ASSHOLE!_ " I screamed, catching the would-be assassin in my Semblance, raising him from the ground, and tossing him aside like a ragdoll. He flew through the air, colliding hard against the oak tree's branches with a loud crack, before falling to the ground, unmoving. His partner called out in alarm, his voice sounding distorted, impossible to understand. I brought my twin weapons together, reassembling the heavy battle axe. Panicked, my opponent fired again towards my parents, only to find his bullets stopping in midair, dropping to the ground harmlessly.

"Who are you!?" I asked angrily, leaping for the strange man who barely managed to avoid bisection " _WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?_ "

I could hear my parents cheering me on. _'I'm doing it, protecting them. This is what I should be doing!'_ I pushed out with my Semblance, knocking him aside as he tried to right himself for another shot. I was above him in an instant, my weapon pressed against his neck, close enough that I could see the emerald glow of an Aura struggling to hold the weapon at bay.

_'Aura again? Why are trained Huntsmen targeting my family?'_

"That was amazing, Maxine!" my mother called out happily, a toothy smile shining on her face as she ran up behind me alongside Dad, who I noticed was staring down at the two men with an expression of hateful glee on his face. I couldn't recall ever seeing my father's face like that, even after Mom died...

...Wait.

My face scrunched up as I clutched for my head with one hand, the other keeping _Cerberus_ pinned at our attacker's neck. _'Mom's not dead. She's right here!'_ But memories appeared through my mind. Flashes of an attack similar to this one, screams, shouts to run... A gunshot... A flash of steel...

"What's wrong, dear?" my mother asked, cocking her head in confusion. "Go ahead. Kill him."

"What...?" I turned around to gape at her, head still feeling as if it were being torn apart from the inside by a rabid Beowolf.

"Well, you've got him pinned. And then you can finish off the other one," Dad said, gesturing to the still prone figure lying a short ways away. "They meant to hurt us, after all. Your family."

My mom nodded, looping her finger absently through a lock of hair, just as I remembered her doing years ago. "Your father's right. Kill him. Two quick swipes, and then we can go back to the lake. You said you wanted to draw some more, didn't you?"

"N-no... _NO!_ " I stared at her. "Something's wrong! Mom, you hated the thought of me fighting, and you would never hurt a fly!" My eyes shifted towards Dad, noting a hungry gleam in his eyes which now seemed reflective, like dark red glass. "And you... You saw what I was becoming; my urges! You thought Huntsman Academy would give me an outlet! That it was better I hurt the Grimm, than other people! Especially after..."

"Foolish girl!" my mother snapped suddenly, voice cracking like shattered glass beneath a boot. "Forget those things! They aren't important. Your happiness, your family..." The space around her seemed to shift, until, suddenly, she held a crying form in her arms, wrapped in a white blanket. "See?... You made the baby cry."

"No! You're _not_ them!" I cried out, image after image flying through my head, as I lost my grip on my axe, the weapon clattering loudly as it struck the ground. "You never had a baby! Those muggers murdered you!" I turned to face the burly Faunus, his eyes shining hatefully. "And you... You left after Mom died... It was Aunt Carmen who took care of me! _WHO ARE YOU!?_ "

Before they could answer, I was suddenly turned around and pulled into a tight embrace, face pressed against what I realized was my pinned opponent's chest. He had gotten up when I was distracted. I noticed a glint of metal as the figure held me close, raising the arm that held his pistol, which was an exact replica of the one I'd been drawing before.

_'So... familiar...'_

"It's alright... Close your eyes, Max..." a familiar voice whispered gently, canine senses picking it up easily. "Don't open them until I say so."

I shouldn't have listened, not with two strange things masquerading as my parents standing behind me, or while being held by some strange man with a gun. For some reason, however, I trusted him, and did as he asked. I clutched him tightly, shivering as twin gunshots rang out from above me, followed by a pair of inhuman screams as hot tears burned trails down my face.

* * *

**_-Benjamin Carson-_ **

In my time alive, I've faced desperate raiders, soulless attack drones, and wild animals of both the Grimm variety and otherwise... But _never_ have I hated anything with as much passion as I did these shadow bastards.

"You think she's gonna be okay?" I asked Ambrose, cocking my head towards the Dog Faunus. The Huntsman shrugged, wincing as his shoulder throbbed painfully. His Aura had taken the worst of Max's Semblance, though his arm had been dislocated in the collision and was set painfully back in place, along with a pulled muscle in his leg. His stark white hair was now a light pink, discolored by a nasty cut that had yet to heal fully. "She hasn't talked at all since we told her about those things," I grimaced, dabbing at my shirt, the fabric still damp from earlier.

"You've seen what these things can do..." he replied, shooting me a stern look. "Everyone deals with pain in their own way. Some need a good cry, and others need to vent." He shivered flexing his fingers, likely remembering his own experience. "I don't know how yours was, or how you escaped, but mine was a damn nightmare... And she was with them even _longer_ than we were."

 _'Reika...'_ My partner was still out with those things. The thought of these things alone with her, tormenting her... I clutched my pistol even more tightly. _'What would that be like? She barely has any memory to begin with!'_

"She's still on her feet, though, and that's something... Just give her some time."

"Right... Let's just find Reika, and get the hell outta here," I said, more to myself than Psycho, before coming to a stop as Max paused suddenly, sniffing at the air loudly.

"I've got a scent..." She looked back towards us. Aside from a slight red tinge under her eye, there was nothing left to show she'd broken down. "It's faint, but it's definitely Murasaki. And something else... Those creatures, I think. Something's up, though."

" _Shit!_ " I swore loudly, kicking at floor. "They got her, too! I should be with her, right now!"

"Stow it, Carson!" Max snapped, giving me a sharp glare. "I smell _blood..._ Thing is, it's not Human, at least not all of it."

"Not Human?" Joel walked over to her, closing his eyes. "So it's not Reika's? Then...?"

"She's still alive. Injured, but probably not too badly. Most of it smells the same as the Grimm that got me after... after Carson took them down." Her mouth twitched somewhat, though if Ambrose noticed the slip, he pretended to ignore it. "My guess is the runt got rid of hers, somehow, and retaliated. Bit scratched up, but she's winning."

"They aren't infallible..." I piped up, drawing their attention. "They do fuck up occasionally. And once you see through it, it's a lot harder for them to get you again." The one that came after me was proof of that, assuming a form that made me angry, rather than sad or contented. "Reika wasn't able to sense anything before, so maybe..."

"She knew it was a fake from the start," Joel finished, nodding to himself. "Make's sense. Let's get a move on."

We broke into a full on sprint, Max running ahead of us, issuing commands as we charged down passages and side corridors. Psycho could barely keep up with us with his leg, but managed to grit his teeth through the pain, Aura flaring as he tried to sustain himself. Within minutes, the sounds of battle began to roar from up ahead, the boom of gunshots and the telltale crash of metal on stone. The sound was instantly recognizable.

_'Holy shit! How many are after her!?'_

We finally managed to reach the end of the tunnel, the space opening up into a large cavern with a dome ceiling, as Joel pointed his light into the space. The floor was littered by the remains of over a dozen of the spindly creatures, bodies either riddled with bullet holes, or missing whole sections from her pile driver. The girl herself stood at the edge of the room in bloody, torn clothes, mercilessly slamming her weapon's tonfa head into the stone, pulping another Grimm's head in a brutal tempo again and again. I could see cracks spreading from the point of impact all the way up to the ceiling.

"Reika!" I rushed forward, a relieved smile plastered on my face. It faded as soon as the girl spun to face me, her hair usually kept swept back out of her face now hanging forward in a lank curtain over her eyes, which looked at me with barely restrained fury. Combined with her mask, the whole effect gave her the look of a rabid animal as she raised her weapon. Max snarled, raising _Cerberus_ , though Joel restrained her before she could do anything more than thumb the safety. I noticed the small girl was panting heavily, a long scratch running up her arm, tinged violet with Aura as it slowly but surely closed.

"Reika?..." I tried again, raising my hands non-threateningly. "It's me. Ben, remember?... Your partner?..."

_'What the hell did those things do to her!?'_

The mute stared at me for a few seconds, before recognition entered her eyes. "That's good, Reika. Remem... _Oof!_ " I doubled over as the girl lashed out with an Aura-powered fist, catching me in the stomach, and sending me to my knees. "Reika...!" I started, before she caught me up in a tight hug that I awkwardly returned, patting her on the back.

 _'Shit... I'm just Mr. Comfort today, aren't I?'_ I sighed internally as I looked down at the girl. ' _She's okay, though... We're all okay...'_

"Rei..." I pushed her away, putting my hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay? W-what did they show you?"

The girl stiffened but raised her left hand, flashing a quick series of signs barely visible in the dim light. _"It's not important."_

"Rei, it's...!"

" _It's **NOT** important!" s_ he signed again, more forcefully this time. I raised my hands again, this time in surrender as I got to my feet.

"Fine, fine; it's not important," I muttered, looking back at the other two with a nod.

A loud screech rang down the hall, shocking us all into action.

" _GET OUT! OUT!_ " Joel called over the din as we broke out into a run. Max lead us as we made our way through the twisting passages. "How much farther!?"

"Not long!" Max called back, gesturing up ahead, where I noticed the telltale green paint spattered along the wall. "Entrance should be only a few minutes...!"

A loud cry from above cut her off, as two of the creatures leapt down from the ceiling above her. One was knocked away as my bullet blew off its head, the other took a throwing knife to the shoulder, and fell to the ground writhing.

"Shit!" Psycho clutched at his arm, wincing. He'd meant to kill the thing instantly, but he'd forgotten about his arm, the injury throwing off his aim. His Aura surged as sparks ran down his arm, the blade lodged in the Grimm sparked to life, finishing off the injured beast with an electric crackle. "Keep going!" he cried out.

I noticed the a drip of blood running down his face. _'He's focusing his Aura on his leg...'_ I resumed the grueling pace, the cries of these monsters growing louder from behind us. ' _He must almost be dead on his feet!...'_

We all were, I realized. Max was panting loudly, though trying to pass it off as anger, while Reika's eyes seemed dazed. Even my arm was getting harder and harder to move as my own Aura decreased. I almost hadn't been able to make that shot.

"Come on!" I fired back behind me at the shadows following us, most of the shots impacting off the stone, but judging by a few pained shrieks, some of the rounds must have hit home.

After a minute, we found the cavern entrance, passing through the crack and making our way up the mine's shaft, suddenly breaking into the light of the fast-setting sun. We kept running, though, ending up sprawled several dozen feet away. Joel pulled the signal beacon out and pressed the button, the device emitting a loud beeping noise.

"Holy shit!" Max coughed, looking back at the tunnel fearfully. I could make out a few moving shapes. One of the Grimm tried to crawl after us, but as soon as its leathery black skin made contact with the sun's light, it sizzled loudly, forcing it back into the tunnel. Bastet's message came flooding back to me.

" _Sunlight!_ " I cried out, getting to my feet. " _They hate sunlight!_ "

"Well we're running out of sunlight!" Max yelled back, looking out at the sun. "We need to get out of here!"

"The pilot's going to be a few minutes..." Joel growled angrily, still lying on his back heaving. "He won't get here in time."

He was right. A long shadow was already beginning to form, shading the entrance of the cavern. "Fuckin' hell..."

Reika slumped her head forward, placing her face into her hands.

"The bomb..." I muttered, an idea forming in my head. "The bomb at the entrance! It was set so it would take these things out!"

"And half the mountain along with it..." Joel finished, his eyes closing.

_'Right... Forgot that part.'_

I scratched at my head, trying to think of something else, when our leader spoke again, voice sounding resigned. "...It would work, though."

"Man!..." Max's face fell into the sand laughing wildly. "This is so _fucked..._ It would be an awesome boom, though... And the charge was aimed up, not at us."

"Are you kiddin' me!?" I looked at them aghast, realizing what they were thinking. "You do realize we'd be caught in the debris still, right? And the shock wave? It's half a goddamn mountain!"

"We'd stop these things, though..." Joel looked at me intently. "Blow these things back to kingdom come, and make sure they don't hurt anyone else... Not the worst way to go..."

The shade had spread by now. The Grimm were starting to exit the tunnel, red eyes glaring at us hungrily. I glanced at Reika, who looked back at me, nodding solemnly. I closed my eyes, mind reeling back, until a sort of... acceptance... clicked into place.

 _'Always did want to go out with a bang,'_ I thought to myself as I chuckled out loud, looking around at my teammates. _'Though I gotta say, in my head, I was hopin' it'd be a few years down the line, at least... Maybe in a bed, with a few gorgeous beauties present...'_ My eyes fell on Max, who smiled evilly, reddish brown eyes fixed on the Grimm. _'Well... could certainly do worse.'_

"Those fuckers don't even know what's coming..." she murmured, eyes widening with excitement, as if to steel herself for the inevitable. "Maybe I can... Maybe... _NO!_ I _can_ do it!"

I ignored the rest of her words, raising my pistol and taking aim for one of the exposed Dust cores. My gaze shifted at the last second towards the Grimm closest to us, its body perched on all fours, snarling, tentacles flailing.

_'Burn in Hell, you rotten sons of bitches!'_

I flared my _Draw,_ time slowing down as I fired, watching the bullet fly towards the core as the Grimm tried and failed to intercept it. The round pierced the outer shell, and suddenly it was as if the sun had come down from the heavens, as light poured from the tunnel, cracking stone as the whole world shook.

 _'Beautiful...'_ I thought numbly, as a glowing reddish form leapt in front of me, arms outstretched. It was then that the world went dark.

* * *

**_-Jude Redgrave-_ **

I'd been halfway through to my destination, relaxing comfortably next to a small flare heating up a can of beans, intent on getting some grub in me before picking up the kids, when the distress signal rang out from the transceiver. _'Shit, shit, shit, **SHIT!** ' _I leapt into the bullhead's cockpit, not even bothering with pre-flight checks, before the engines cried out as I roared into the sky towards the work site, pushing the bird to her limits.

"This better not be some prank to get me to pick 'em up faster!"

' _Stupid, reckless Huntsmen kids!'_ I thought, placing the flight helmet over my head. To think years ago, I'd wanted to be one of those nutcases. Every little boy and girl did at one time or another, I supposed, raised on tales of heroism and adventure. Even after the sobering revelation that my own skills with Aura made me unsuitable for actual combat, I still wanted to do my part against the Grimm. Becoming a combat pilot seemed to be the next best thing. Nothing like shredding Grimm from above with a heavy machine gun, while ferrying the real heroes to their destination.

Enlisting at eighteen and serving three years in the Kingdom's military, I'd been selected by Ozpin himself as a pilot only a month previously. This disaster was my first routine assignment.

"Come on, Lucy! Come on!" I urged, patting the ship's dials affectionately. One of the oldest models created, the craft had been a relic in service to Beacon for years, and had belonged to my predecessor: a surly veteran named Gregor who I'd co-piloted for. She wasn't the prettiest bird in the sky, but she was reliable, and had apparently been flying since well before he'd joined up.

The mountain was in view, silhouetted against the waning sun, pretty as a portrait, when suddenly the horizon lit up in an enormous flare of multicolored fire, lighting up the sky clear as day, and taking the mountain along with it. The shock wave buffeted the small craft hard, sending it into a wild spin as stone shards from the mountain fell around me, one particularly large one cracking the glass canopy as it impacted.

" _OH SHIT!_ " I pulled the yoke back, cranking back the engine, and barely managing to keep her in the air as a plume of smoke rose up from where the work site had lain previously. The picturesque mountain looked as if it had had a fight with an ice cream scoop and lost. _Badly._ The blast flattened the surrounding forests.

 _'What the hell did those kids **do!?** ' _I mentally screamed, as I gaped at the wanton destruction, waiting for the billowing smoke to clear.

Bringing Lucy down into a controlled hover, I switched on the searchlight, trying desperately to find any sign of AMBR, but the entire area was covered in rubble and debris.

 _'Oh... Ozpin's **not** going to like this...' _ I groaned inwardly as I swung around for another pass.

Just as I was about to give up hope and start back for Beacon, a loud boom rose up from the ground a few meters away, sending me scrambling for the controls, ready to get the hell out of here in case whatever had taken out the mountain was back for Round Two. After a few seconds of no exploding death storms, I worked up the nerve to check out the area, shocked to see four students crawling out of a hole in the ground, all accounted for. They all seemed alive and intact, though I noticed the Faunus girl was supported by the one with the artificial arm. I quickly brought the Bullhead down to the ground quickly.

"I don't believe it!..." I called out as I steppe from the cockpit to meet them, wincing a bit as I took in the state of them "You kiddos alright?"

Bloody, battered, and covered head to toe in dust, they stepped silently into the ship. Closing the side doors, I noticed them all slumped against the panels, not even bothering to secure themselves. The Dog girl seemed to have knocked out, her head on the poncho-wearing one's shoulder. Their leader, the tall one with the white hair, though at the moment it was more black and pink, came up to join me in the cockpit a few minutes later, after making sure the rest of his team was settled, falling into the co-pilot seat with a groan of utter exhaustion.

"...If you don't mind me asking... What the hell happened back there?" I asked nervously, flinching back as he turned to face me with a haunted look in his eyes that didn't belong on such a young face.

"Trust me... You _don't_ want to know," was all he'd said for the rest of the trip back as he typed up a report to send ahead. "You _really_ don't want to know..."

 _'You know... Maybe I got off easy for not being a Huntsman, after all,'_ I gulped, patting the controls one last time. _'Sorry I ever regretted you, babe.'_

* * *

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

I stepped off the Bullhead with a relieved sigh, the sight of Beacon Tower and the lights pouring from a few of the rooms acting as a comforting balm. _'We made it back... **All** of us...'_

It had been a close call, and it was all thanks to Max. The Dog Faunus had leapt in front of us when the bomb went off, using her Semblance to somehow bend the force of the explosion, as well as the debris, around us. She even managed to blow us a way out afterwards, in a display of near god-like power. The strain had finally caught up with her, though, and she'd fallen unconscious once she'd stepped foot on the aircraft.

 _'Probably for the best... She'd be freaked out, otherwise,_ ' I reasoned, making my way back to the school with the rest of my team, my partner in Ben's arms slumbering peacefully.

At least that made one of us. Ben and Reika had managed to catch some sleep on the trip back, while I'd stayed up typing up the mission report, detailing our little nightmare for the school. I still picked up on their strain, however, their movements sloppy and uncoordinated. Reika especially looked the worse for wear. Her injuries had already healed, though the effort had left her swaying on her feet, her Aura depleted. I could relate to the small girl, as my body ached more than it had in years.

On approach, I wasn't surprised to see Ozpin flanked by Goodwitch standing at the landing pad waiting for us, a concerned look on his face as he came to greet us. The look on my face was almost too numb, if the fact that my vision had narrowed at him was any indication.

"Joel, I received your report. Are you...!"

He didn't get the chance to finish as my fist crashed into his cheek, sending the Headmaster to the ground with his glasses flying. What annoyed me the most was that the move was sloppy, slow, and completely telegraphed, yet he still hadn't even bothered avoiding it. It was almost like he was humoring me by letting me make contact.

 _'Or maybe it's his way of apologizing!'_ I reeled back, hissing through gritted teeth as pain shot up my arm, still not fully healed. The pilot cried out in shock, while the rest of my team just stood back, looking nervous if more than a little sympathetic.

"You... You son of a bitch!" I growled, staring at the Huntsman, ready to defend myself if he struck back. _'Let him try it!'_

"Mr. Ambrose!" The blonde Huntresses' crop was in her hands in an instant, but she was stopped by Ozpin as he got to his feet, quickly placing a hand on her shoulder while he rubbed his cheek gingerly, a bruise already forming on his pale skin. To his credit, he didn't try to use his Aura to heal the injury. I probably would've tried hitting him again if he had.

"It's alright, Glynda..." he reassured her, staring at me intently. "He has more than enough reason to be upset." She looked ready to argue the point, but lowered her weapon slowly, giving me a sharp look that I returned unflinchingly.

" _Damn right,_ I do! We _all_ do!" I snapped harshly, gesturing back to the rest of my team. "I don't care if we're skilled or not. I don't even give a damn about you using whatever pieces you have available, or whatever bullshit you want to use to justify this!" I took a step forward. "You have me, Ozpin. The collar proves that... But if you _ever_ endanger my team again by using us as pawns... There's no Grimm in existence that can compare to what I'll do to you when I...!" I couldn't even say anything else after that. I was so angry. Instead, I reigned my fury in, and led my team off of the platform back towards the academy, leaving the two professors and the nervous pilot standing there staring after us.

* * *

"...Get them in bed," I ordered Ben, as we entered the dormitories.

"What about...?" The sharpshooter looked at me questioningly before nodding, face sifting to a more serious expression. "Will do, Psycho."

"Thanks, Ben... You did good, today. Honest..." I clapped him on the shoulder with my good arm, cocking my head towards Reika. "You all did."

"Don't sell yourself short, man. You did the best you could in a bad situation," he replied, returning the gesture. "Punchin' and threatenin' the Headmaster, though..."

"I know..." I glanced at my fist soberly. "Not one of my proudest moments, was it?" I admitted, cheeks flushing. "Haven't let myself lose control like that in years..."

He just laughed, staring down at the Faunus in his arms. "Ah, well one of us had to do it with Max out. Better you then the guy with the metal fist. Now all I need to do is beat the shit out of Ice Queen's Daddy, and we'll be almost even for that shit storm."

I made sure they had all entered the room before making my way down the hall to the nearest shadowed space. Even though the caves were far behind us, the phantom child's distorted laughter continued playing on repeat in my head. I tugged at the collar encircling my neck, feeling as if the small metal loop was suffocating me where I stood.

" _You're a killer, Joel Ambrose..."_ I slumped back against the wall, crouching against the floor, clutching fruitlessly at my ears. " _...A weapon. A tool to be used by others..."_

The phantom was new, but the words were old, questions I'd asked of myself sitting alone in that cell that I thought were long behind me. The thing about prison, though, is that you get a lot of time to yourself to just think about what you did to end up there... And I'd had five long months with nothing but my shadow for company.

"Damn it..." I muttered, feeling warm tears travel down my cheeks. All those faces, all that pain, all for a damn grudge. I could hear their voices, still. I began beating on the side of my head, hoping they would go away... " _Damn it!_ "

* * *

**_-Yang Xiao Long-_ **

' _Man, what a day!'_ I thought, cracking my back as I made my way back to _JNPR's_ room, finally finished with Professor Peach's stupid sap homework, being the only one who hadn't managed to get it finished.

Since we'd touched back down, RWBY and JNPR had been having a little party, celebrating Vomit Boy's first kill. Ruby had spent an hour relaying the gory details of how he'd decapitated the Ursa in one swing, felling the terrible beast, and saving Cardin's ass in the process, slight embellishments included.

Awesome Grimm killing adventure stories aside, however, I was just relieved the whole of JNPR was getting along again. Joel had been right, after all. Apparently all Jaune had needed was just a bit of time to get his priorities straight. Speaking of the Huntsman, he and his team should've been getting back from their own mission right about now.

 _'I should swing by their dorm, and get 'em to tell us about how their mission went!'_ I grinned excitedly as I moved down the hallway. ' _Maybe I shouldn't, though. They could be totally wiped out_... _Tired, I mean,'_ I corrected myself on the choice of words. It might've been their first official mission, but it wasn't like AMBR couldn't handle it. As I neared their room, however, I heard a slight whimpering noise coming from down the hall.

Curious, I followed the sound down the stone corridor, catching sight of a familiar figure curled up next to an open window, head clutched in his hands, while they tapped harshly on the temples, moonlight throwing shadows across the floor.

"...All my fault... It's all my fault; it's all my fault..." Joel whimpered over and over, shoulders heaving. "I'm so sorry... _I'm so sorry..._ " It was as if he didn't even notice me, his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him.

"Joel...?" I asked hesitantly, making my presence known as I stepped closer. From what I could make out, his whole body was covered in a fine layer of dust, his clothes torn, the plates of his armor scuffed and dented.

" _Joel_ ," I repeated, this time more confidently. The Huntsman froze, turning his head slowly to face mine, face twisted in a pained grimace. His eyes though... I'd seen that look on Ruby's face years earlier whenever she had a nightmare. After our mother's death, I'd taken on the responsibility of comforting my little sister on such nights, Dad either too busy and too broken up to give the girl the comfort she needed at the time. So like any good sister, I stepped up, letting her curl up beside me, telling her everything would be all right, keeping the monsters at bay.

I dropped down instinctively as I placed my arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. He stiffened and for a few seconds. I thought he would try to pull away. Instead, he buried his face in my shoulder, breaking down completely as he gripped at my arms tightly for support. "I'm sorry... _I'm so sorry..._ " the Huntsman kept repeating over and over, voice muffled by my hair as I stroked his back slowly, cooing softly in his ear.

-END


	12. FIRST MISSION

FIRST MISSION

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

" _Velvet...?_ " I stammered out as the Rabbit Faunus ran up to us, out of breath and panting, as she stared at me nervously.

Max snarled angrily, pushing past me as she went for Velvet, who flinched but didn't back down. "What the hell do you want, you little...!" I put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her before she could do anything worse than bark. I shook my head as she glanced around at me, confused. "What!? This is _her_ fault! If she hadn't...!"

"I can handle it," I said simply, gesturing for her and the rest of my team to wait at the end of the hall.

"Ambrose!"

" _Argus_..." I said more firmly this time, before giving her a grin. "I've got this."

Max opened her mouth as if to argue, but ultimately closed it, growling under her breath as she nodded. She stomped after Ben and Reika, who had already walked off. Along the way, her Aura flared suddenly, as every window she passed began rattling dangerously.

 _'Good thing I've got that meeting later. Don't think I want to be in my room for a while,'_ I thought with relief, turning my attention back to Velvet, who still stood in front of me, brown eyes staring sadly after the Canine Faunus.

"Sorry about that. Just ignore what she said. She just gets a bit... heated, sometimes," I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head as I tried very hard not to hear the loud crash ring out from the end of the hall.

"She's right, though..." the brunette sighed, gazing down at the ground rubbing her arm. "It _is_ my fault. If you hadn't tried to help me, if you'd just let Cardin do what he wanted..."

"Then I would've felt like such an ass," I finished, shrugging as I bent down so I could see her eyes. "I don't blame you for what happened, Velv. It was gonna come out either way, eventually."

"But I just froze! I was so scared of you, even though you've been nothing but kind to me since we met..." She shook her head furiously, "Afterwards, I wanted to talk to you; to apologize! But then Richard started hounding me to sign that damn petition, and to say that you threatened to hurt me..." She sniffed loudly, covering her face. "I'm in my supposed to be your senior here, and I _still_ can't stick up for myself. I'm so _pathetic!_ "

"Velvet. _I_. _Don't_. _Blame. You,"_ I said slowly, emphasizing each word as I brought her hands down, giving her a friendly grin. "Honestly, I'd be a little worried for you if the thought of a Trapper standing in front of you didn't terrify you, especially considering I didn't tell you about it." I averted my eyes guiltily as she glanced up at me. "You're actually one of the first Faunus to consider me as a friend since I joined the Red Hand... Well, besides Max, but 'friend' is a bit of a loose term with her... " I took a deep breath, calming myself down as thoughts of the last three years began to sneak to the forefront of my mind. "I joined them along with my friend so that I could protect her, and get some measure of payback. Instead, I just ended up leaving my brother, the last bit of family I had left, alone, when he needed me most. And all for what? So I could end up becoming the same kind of monster I tried so hard to kill..."

"Joel..." I then looked at her face, brown eyes staring intently into mine. "A monster wouldn't have stepped in to help me when I needed it. A monster wouldn't have put himself through that sham of an apology, just to keep their teammate out of trouble. And a monster _certainly_ wouldn't be able to inspire the kind of loyalty you do in your team, or doing his best to apologize right now."

She looked down the hall, wincing slightly. _'Great. Max must've broken something expensive.'_

"They might not show it, but I can tell that you all care for one another. Not a lot of teams can say that. I mean Richard runs RSET like an army sergeant."

"Yeah. Tried that. Didn't work out so well," I laughed. "I've found that, after a while, you get more bees with honey. And even though Max can be difficult, sometimes, her heart's in the right place."

I sighed, glancing back over my shoulder, and more than a little shocked to find a crushed drinking fountain spitting a steady stream of water into the hall. _'Great...'_

"Look Velvet..." I bowed my head towards her. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I should've told you, at least considering how much it concerned you, but I was too much of a coward... Do you still want to be friends...?"

"Of _course_ I still want to be friends." She caught me up in a tight hug, giving me a friendly wink. "You're not getting out of our project, so easily!"

* * *

"Ah, Mr. Ambrose! Come in, come in!" a familiar fast-paced voice welcomed me as I opened the classroom door, still cringing after the talking to I'd gotten from Goodwitch about destruction of public property.

_'Keep this up, and my team might start taking advantage...'_

"Sit down," a greenish blur zoomed around the room, moving desks and chairs out of the way.

"Professor... _Oobleck_?" I wondered, as the green-haired professor came to a stop in front of me, clothes still slightly disheveled. "You're the one who stepped forward for me?"

"Well, when Professor Ozpin asked for one of the faculty staff to manage you, of course I volunteered!" The Huntsman ushered me into the room, setting me down on one of the spare chairs lying around. "And it's _Doctor_ Oobleck," he added sternly, before zooming off towards the large teacher's desk, rifling through a pile of papers. "I didn't spend all that extra time studying for nothing, after all!"

"Sorry, Prof... _Doctor,_ " I corrected quickly, seeing the twitch of his eyebrow. "I just don't know why you'd do this for me. It has to be a hassle for you, right?"

"Not at all, not at all!" he reassured me. "I was actually amongst the most qualified for such a position! History wasn't the only thing I studied, after all. Someone as fast as I am needs to spend his spare time somehow, and Psychology was always a little side hobby of mine. Now, then!..." He appeared suddenly in a chair across from me, leaning back comfortably notebook and pencil in hand. "Let's begin."

"...So we're officially calling this therapy, then?" I asked hesitantly. "I thought this was just a check-in?" I'd already been through the gamut of criminal, social, and behavioral psychologists. Even a student piece stopped by about two months into my sentence.

"A 'check-in' can refer to many things. We're here for an hour, Mr. Ambrose. May as well use it, correct?" He tapped his notepad. "You don't need to tell me anything you don't want to."

"Alright... Where do you wanna start?" I crossed my arms behind my head lazily.

"Well, your 'apology' to Mr. Kaplan did bring up a few points," he noted, scribbling something down on his pad, before eyeing me expectantly. "Students are already talking."

"I thought it got the point across," I shrugged. "So, do you want to hear about my parents? My time in the Red Hand? My first mission?..."

"Actually, I'd like to explore why you agreed to Richard's terms in the first place?"

The question caught me off guard. "I'm sorry?"

"Why did you agree to give that apology? You had to have known that it would've been turned on you. It was an attempt to put you down before the student body, and I'm sure it dredge up some unpleasant emotions for yourself. So why would you ever agree to that to put yourself through that?"

"Well if I didn't, then Ben would've been suspended. I couldn't just let that happen."

"Why not?" Oobleck countered, making another swift note. "Though I'm certain Richard isn't entirely blameless for his situation, Mr. Carson still reacted poorly."

"I'm his team leader...!" I stammered out, but Oobleck cut me off with a sharp tap.

"So a team leader should always sacrifice himself for his team?"

"Of course not! But I...!"

Another loud tap.

"What about the situation with Miss Scarlatina?" Oobleck said pointedly, adjusting his glasses. "You against four trained students, where a victory could mean expulsion for yourself. Was that worth it?"

"I... I... That was..."

"Admirable? Yes. But also foolish, _and_ detrimental to yourself." The professor paused, glancing down at his notes. "Even your reason for joining the Red Hand was to defend others at the cost of your own safety. Forgive me, but such behavior can't be healthy. Is there a reason why?"

I wanted to argue that point, but couldn't help considering that he was absolutely right. I hid it behind noble ideals, justifying it to myself at the time, but Oobleck had a point.

"It's... It's complicated..." I said after a short pause. "Growing up, my parents always stressed protecting others whenever you could, placing them before yourself. I mean, that's what being a cop or a Huntsman is all about. Placing yourself in harm's way in defense of someone else who can't take it, you know?"

"That is one of the symbolic duties associated of those careers, yes," the Huntsman nodded. "But there is a time where restraint, caution, is warranted. Someone in your new position can't just throw themselves away, willy-nilly."

"So I should let someone get hurt, if I could stop it!?" I was on my feet now. When did that happen?

"If the need is great enough, then yes..." The doctor stared me full in the face, unwavering. "Being a leader means trusting your teammates, knowing what risks are worth taking, but also knowing when to make the hard choices. You are more of a symbol to your team then you know, and if you are lost in a very volatile situation..."

"Ben would take over..."

"And you would force that upon him? What if he's compromised emotionally, or if he doesn't have all of the information that you do? You are a constant on your team; the glue that binds it together in a crisis. You _CANNOT_ fall!"

"I... I never thought about it that way."

"It may sound cruel to hear it, but a king cannot sacrifice itself for a pawn, or a knight, if the game is to be won." The statement hung in the air, Ozpin's earlier words replaying in my head. "Now, I'd like to move on to another topic, but I recommend that you keep what we've talked about in mind. Especially over the next few days with your upcoming mission."

All I could do was nod blankly, still caught up in the realization of just how much weight had been pushed on my shoulders.

_'How does Ozpin do it?'_

* * *

**_-Maxine Argus-_ **

**(One Week Later)**

" _On your six, Bitch!_ " Poncho cried out as he dodged a bolt of light, leaping away as it impacted on the ground and sending up a veritable glacier of ice. "You've got a shadow!"

I spun around, bringing _Cerberus_ to bare as I knocked away an attempted sneak attack from RWBY's resident ninja, who flipped away before I could land a solid hit.

"Damn it, stay still!"

I had to fight to stay focused, the smell of cat permeating my senses. _'The hell!?'_

She landed in a graceful crouch, lashing out again with that strange sickle of hers. I ducked under the weapon as it passed by just centimeters above my ears.

 _'Enjoy this, cat lady!'_ I grinned, feeling a rush of energy as my Aura flared to life. _'Focus, focus, **FOCUS!** ' _I stretched my arm out in a grabbing motion, feeling a smile build across my face at the gasp of surprise I heard as the bladed pistol froze in mid air on its way back around. I jerked my arm back, causing the weapon to fly off the stage, followed shortly by its surprised owner.

"Miss Belladonna is out!" Goodwitch called out from her perch in the stands, bespectacled eyes glaring down at the melee.

I collapsed to my knees as my Aura faded quickly, panting heavily. _'Stupid, stupid Semblance!'_ The thing was still fickle as hell, taking all of my concentration, not to mention my power, just to do simple hit on anything at range. _'But I could do worse than that... I could go around and wipe out a whole building...'_ I gritted my teeth, suppressing the unspoken voice.

" _Max, watch it!_ " Ambrose's voice sent me crashing back to reality, as a golden shape sped towards me with her fist raised. Before I could react, Ambrose appeared, colliding with Xiao Long hard, and tackling her to the floor. " _Pay attention!_ " he cried out again, as he tried to restrain the brawler in a police hold.

I shook my head, turning around as Ben and Reika managed to knock the haughty Schnee girl out of the arena with a quick sneak attack to join Belladonna, and now had Rose cornered.

"Time!" Goodwitch announced, both sides pausing as she approached the stage, putting the results of the fight into her Scroll. "AMBR is the victor with three fighters still in play, and RWBY with two. Excellent work."

" _Three?_ But we're..." I glanced up at the board, cursing as I saw my Aura sitting comfortably in the red.

"I recommend that you exercise restraint, Miss Argus," Goodwitch chided, making a tick on her Scroll. "Your Semblance is powerful, but it won't matter much if you collapse after every use." She turned to Joel. "That will be all for today, Mr. Ambrose. Please remember that your team will depart tomorrow morning by airship. Don't be late. Your weapons will be returned to you before your departure."

"Yes, Professor," Ambrose nodded, helping Yang to her feet before making his way to the locker room to store his weapons, as he had for the past week.

Goodwitch had been happy enough to oversee our small training sessions against RWBY and JNPR, but was a stickler when it came to Joel's weapon privileges.

"Excellent. Now the rest of you make sure to rest up. We will be leaving for Forever Fall tomorrow, as well, for Professor Peach's assignment. And while it shouldn't prove too dangerous, you should still remain vigilant." With that she turned on her heels and marched from the gym at a brisk pace.

"Nice fight, you guys!" Yang said, offering her hand towards Ben. "Thought we had you for a while there."

The rest of RWBY nodded, though it seemed only the two sisters were actually good sports about it. The Schnee girl was muttering angrily to herself while shooting glares at the locker room every few seconds, her scent tense. The ninja, on the other hand, just stared at me from the corner of her eye. I gave her a sly wink.

"You guys have really good teamwork going on. Especially you two," she added, eyeing Reika and Ben.

"Well, we've been fightin' together for years, and the whole 'no talkin'' thing meant we had to get synergy, pretty quick," Ben laughed, nudging his partner playfully. "Psycho and Bitch, on the other hand..."

"Oi!" I gave him my best death glare, sending him shrinking behind his minuscule partner in mock terror. "We have our own thing going! He stays out of my way, I stay out of his, we watch each other's backs occasionally, and who cares about the rest!?"

"Good thing he was watching your back this time, or Yang would've obliterated it," Blake added darkly, giving me a wink of her own that set my nails digging into my palm.

_'Ooh, looks like kitty **does** have claws...'_

"Nice to see everyone getting along!" Joel cried out, as he returned from the the locker room, weapons and armor stored back in that safe of a locker Ozpin set him up with.

 _'That's gotta suck. No one's keeping my baby away from me,'_ I mused to myself, gripping the handle of my axe tighter.

"Thanks for helping us train, guys," my partner gratefully said.

"Not a problem!" Yang grinned, widely cracking her knuckles. "You guys are great practice! By the way, where'd you learn that hold you had me in?"

"My dad was in the Police Force back home," he explained. "He taught me all sorts of self defense moves they used to restrain criminals. Paired with Aura, it's effective on just about anything, even Grimm."

I remembered seeing it in action close up, especially over the last few days. Joel was able to flip and restrain small Grimm easily without even using his weapon.

"That's right. I suppose you _would_ need to grab a hold of people long enough for your Semblance to do the rest..." Weiss stated under her breath darkly. Joel's eye widened in surprise and hurt, but he quickly suppressed it.

"What the _hell's_ your problem!?" I glowered at her, teeth bared and all tiredness forgotten. Reika took a step forward, eyes burning brightly, reaching for her _Strike Lotus._

" _WEISS!_ " Ruby chided, turning to her partner angrily, before looking back at Joel with an apologetic look on her face. "Joel, I'm sorry! I don't...!"

"It's fine. She's right it did make my work easier. Very perceptive of you, _Miss Schnee,_ " Joel interrupted her, giving the Schnee snob a formal bow and staring up at her eyes cold as ice. I noticed a look of panicked recognition flit across the girl's face, before she steeled herself, her stoic expression returning.

_'Well, look like something's up between these two...'_

Ben stepped in to diffuse the situation, that roguish grin full in effect as he stepped between them. "Like Psycho was sayin', it's really nice of you to train with us the last few days, though I was wonderin' where JNPR ended up? I thought you said they'd be able to help, too?"

Ruby's face fell. "They're still mad at Jaune, I think. Ever since he started hanging around Cardin and his team, he's been blowing them off," she replied sadly. "I don't know why he's letting this go on, too. It's not like they're nice to him, or anything."

"Jaune's a good guy. I'm certain he'll get over this." Joel reassured her, stretching widely. "Forever Fall will be as good a place for it as any. It's a team building exercise, right?"

"Yeah! You know, you guys are _so_ lucky!" Ruby said excitedly, brightening up again, glancing at us with a look of innocent envy in her eyes. "Getting to go on an actual mission before any of the other First Years. I'm so jealous!"

Ben shook his head in astonishment. "Really? _You're_ jealous of us havin' to wake up at the crack of dawn the last few days, to do what again, Reika?" The pipsqueak rattled through a few quick signs and motions. "Ah, right. Take out a den of Beowolves, find a flag hidden in the bowels of the ruins you guys _so generously_ messed up during Initiation, and, uh... Oh! Observe the habits of the graceful Ursa in it'ss natural habitat for Professor Port."

"That sounds _awesome!_ " the red headed girl beamed, face shining with delight. "Well, except for the last bit, you guys get to be like real Huntsma\en and Huntresses."

"Hey, worst comes to worst, we'll most likely just have to clear up a few Grimm that tangled with the miners over territory. You guys get to actually relax in the most beautiful place in the Kingdom, so it should be a pretty easy day for all of us." Joel said, patting her on the head. "Oh, was their any progress on getting that intel on where we're going, _Miss Schnee?_ "

"Stop calling me that!" she spat back venomously, drawing a few strange glances from both our teams. "...Anyway, I checked with my father's aides about projects they're running out within that area, but they couldn't find anything about any mine. Likely..."

"Your father erased all existing information on the mine and its workers, so it wouldn't show up on the company's reports?" Blake finished for her, shaking her head bitterly. "Sounds like something your company would pull, leaving the workers and their families in the dust."

"I beg your pardon!?" the heiress shot back, looking back at her teammate red faced.

"It's fine! Really!" Joel said quickly, diffusing the argument before it started. "So we're going in blind... We'll just deal with it the same way we did with the ruins."

We continued on like that for about an hour, with me sharpening my axe lovingly, Joel teaching Yang the basics of that hold he'd used, and Ruby fawning over Ben's arm while he put it through its paces, admiring the complicated pieces of machinery. Weiss had stormed out soon after our practice match had finished, spitting out something about studying plant life for tomorrow, while Cat Girl read in the stands.

"What's the deal with you and Schnee?" I asked Joel as he came over to the bench I was sitting at, nursing an aching shoulder. Seemed Yang was a quick student when it came to hand-to-hand combat.

"What do you mean?" he shot back innocently as he stripped off his sweatshirt, hissing as he pressed a cold compress to his strain, Aura already at work healing the injury.

"Don't play dumb with me. I can smell lies," I said, producing a familiar keening sound as I swept the grindstone over the blade.

"Bullshit."

"No, really. But you don't need Faunus senses to see something's up. So spill it."

He hesitated a moment, taping down the compress before slumping into the space next to me with a heavy thump. "Since when do you care who hates me and who doesn't?

"I _don't_. But you _do_. And if you fuck up because your feelings are hurt, then I get put at risk." I shot him a smug look. "I care in my own way. Why do you think I blew up Kaplan's locker for you?"

"Because you're a vengeful sadist, with way too many anger issues," he guessed, wincing as I smacked him in the shoulder. "Fine!... Me and Weiss happen to have some... history. Some stuff happened, and I think... No, I _know_ she's become aware of it, too."

"Trapper stuff?"

"Yeah."

I raised an eyebrow at that, a host of questions coming to mind. "Wow. So the pretty, perfect Weiss Schnee was involved with the Red Hand?" I grunted, spitting on the floor with disdain. "And here I thought my opinion of her or her company couldn't get any worse."

"Was more her father, actually..." Joel noted, leaning back against the cool metal wall. "Little more than three years back, when the Red Hand was just considered a bunch of vengeful mercenaries rather than armed terrorists, Weiss' father approached us as a means of stopping White Fang attacks on his Dust shipments between the Kingdoms."

"He hired you?"

"The organization was just starting to militarize, and we needed the funds for weapons, armor, intel, etc..." Joel rattled off bitterly. "I mean, we were already hunting the White Fang, when Schnee comes along and actually offers to _pay us_ for it. Why the hell would we refuse?"

"Where were you in all this?" I asked surprised. "You couldn't have been more than, what, sixteen?"

"I'm well into eighteen now, so I think around... Yeah, sixteen maybe, give or take a few months," he said simply, counting out years on his fingers as if it were a normal thing to do at his age. "It had been seven months since my parents had been killed, and maybe five since I joined the Red Hand's Trapper program. Whole idea was to take ex-Huntsmen or Huntsman Academy dropouts that had lost something to the Faunus, put them through the most brutal training imaginable, and make an elite fighting force out of whoever was left standing." The way his eyes twitched involuntarily, I could only imagine what this "training" had included.

"Sounds pretty rough."

"You would've loved it. Instructors screaming at us as they put us through test after blood-curdling test, training with live weapons. One kid broke an arm and a leg falling off a cliff during an exercise. Trainer broke his jaw for screaming."

I nodded, finally understanding a little better how my partner's body could be so messed up with scars, despite his Aura. "Man, you Trappers really sound like a fun group, don't you?"

"Looking back at it, the health plan was a little shitty, to tell you the truth," Joel laughed, reaching for a water bottle he'd had with him. "Anyway, Schnee himself had lost more than his fair share of family and business partners to assassins of the White Fang, and, noticing how effective we were in action, wanted Trappers guarding his legacy in a more personal capacity. Red Hand assigned me and one other Trapper as Weiss and Winter Schnee's bodyguards, respectively."

"So what'd you do? Screwed her, and got run off by Daddy?" I asked, breaking out into a fit of giggles as he spluttered, pulling off a perfect spit take, before looking at me red faced.

"What the actual _fuck,_ Max!?"

"What!? It was just a question! Can't imagine why else she'd be this pissed at you. So, you bone her or not?"

" _NO!_ She was like fourteen at the time!"

"You were fifteen. Age gap wasn't too out there."

He schooled himself back into some measure of calm, though his cheeks were still flushed scarlet. " _Nothing_ happened, alright? Her sister might've had fun with my partner, if his bragging was any indication, but as for me and Weiss, we kept it strictly professional. The higher-ups didn't want Schnee to bother them about assigning a fifteen-year-old boy to watch over his youngest daughter, so they ordered me not to take off my mask, distort my voice, and let my height do the rest. Pulled that off for about four months."

"Still doesn't answer what you did, though," I reminded him. "Can't tell if she's scared, or mad at you."

"Aside from acting like I didn't know her when we first got here... I also killed someone in front of her, once." He sounded guilty, looked it too.

"What, like stone cold murdered a guy?"

"Not really, I suppose. It was self-defense. A White Fang agent attempted to kill her after one of her singing concerts as we made for the car. I... stopped him, to say the least. I'm pretty sure it freaked her out. A few days later, I'm shifted back to a more active role on the Mistral Border, though it wasn't like I cared much at the time. Was tired of playing babysitter anyway, going 'Miss Schnee this,' and 'Miss Schnee that.'"

"Can't have been too bad."

"Think about Weiss as she is now, then imagine her three years younger, a hell of a lot more entitled, and with no Ruby around to act as a conscience, and you'll have a pretty good understanding of my life at the time."

"Ouch." I shuddered looking at our friends.

_'Yeah, I suppose they are my friends. Except for kitty girl, though Yang seems pretty cool.'_

The blonde hadn't asked me if she could feel my ears yet, so that was a bonus for her, at least one more than Ben. Bastard had scratched behind them as a joke a few weeks back, and was still teasing me about the sound I'd let out. Wasn't my fault; it felt nice!

 _'Asshole.'_ I mentally hissed as I glared at the sharpshooter, who at the moment was running some stress tests on the arm.

"You know, you should talk to her," I said after a moment. "Weiss, I mean. You should try talking to her about this."

"I've thought about it since the truth came out, but it's sort of an awkward topic. Can't even tell if she's more scared of me than angry, or the other way around."

"Take it from me that it's probably a good mix of both," I explained, leaning my axe against the side of the bench. "She's got the disadvantage of knowing exactly what you were like before, and is coming to grips with who you are now. Doesn't help that you've probably been some monster in her nightmares for a while, either. Or that you're still antagonizing her."

"Sorry. Her attitude always did get to me. Sarcasm was a good coping mechanism for when she'd explode over something as small as walking too close behind her in public, or slouching in front of guests, not that anyone wanted to look at me. The uniform we wore was pretty intimidating...!"

I hit him across the head this time with a loud thump, shutting his rant off at the source.

"Forget all of that, dumbass! If you want her to start being nice, well, her version of nice, anyway, you have to reassure her that you've changed. It's going to take a while, but if you work hard at it, she should lighten up around you, eventually."

"Wow..." he muttered under his breath, shocked.

"What?"

"That was... actually some pretty decent advice, Max. Never thought you were much into the whole other people's feelings thing. Thank you."

I grinned widely, shooting him a thumbs up. "Don't feel too bad. Women just get these sorts of things. Not your fault."

"You do realize this doesn't excuse you wrecking that fountain, right? I'm the one paying for it, after all."

"Fuck you, Ambrose..."

* * *

**(The Next Morning)**

" _MAX! EVERYTHIN' ALRIGHT!?_ " Ben shouted over the roaring engine, as I clutched the safety rail for dear life, as I had been the last two hours. I felt my heart stop a few times as the Bullhead soared over the forested valley hundreds of feet below. " _YOU'RE WHITE AS A SHEET!_ "

" _SHUT UP! I'M FINE!_ " I called back, shooting him a dirty look, to which he just shook his head irritably, returning to his hushed conversation with the pipsqueak, fingers in rapid motion.

_'Stupid, stupid mission! Who thought flight was a good idea, anyway!? People don't fly! Well, some Faunus might have wings, I suppose, but regular people don't fly!'_

My eyes darted to Ambrose, who stood still as a statue, reading the final mission details from his Scroll as the whole cabin shook around him.

_'How's he doing that!?'_

Our leader was wearing his usual combat gear, along with a small backpack of gear Ozpin had thought we'd need. I was actually somewhat thankful for the near earsplitting noise assaulting my senses, if it meant the others couldn't hear my small whimpers every time I glanced over the edge.

 _"Heads up, kiddos!"_ the pilot's voice rang out over the intercom. _"We'll be coming up on the site in just a minute! We hope you've had a pleasant trip, and would like to thank you for flying Air Beacon!"_ The voice cut out with a loud static hiss as the aircraft dipped fast, screaming towards the ground.

 _' **WHO HIRED THIS SHITHEAD!?** ' _my mind screamed as I shut my eyes, voice caught in my throat along with my breakfast. It was shaky, but soon enough the nightmare ended as the VTOL leveled out, coming to a halt on the ground with one last rattle.

_"Whew, close one... Shit, I-I mean good job! Perfect landing; just perfect! You all did fantastic!"_

"Max?... We're on the ground. You can let go, now," Joel's voice said calmly from my right.

I opened my eyes, looking around as the rest of my team watched me curiously. I glanced up, finally noticing that I'd been gripping the railing tight enough that I'd warped the metal strut, almost snapping it in two. I quickly pulled my hand away, leaping off the aircraft onto the most beautiful patch of land I'd ever seen, overlooked by an enormous mountainside devoid of any greenery. We'd managed to land on the edge of the work site, just inside the highly reinforced fence that was meant to keep Grimm from getting in. I could make out different types of machinery, along with a long series of makeshift buildings that must've been offices or housing.

"Alright, kiddos," the pilot, a helmeted man not much older than us by his voice, stepped from the cockpit looking towards Joel, tossing a small device to the Huntsman-in-training. "Be careful out here. That device there will act as a signal, letting me know your approximate location. If for some reason whatever caused this is too much to handle, pull the pin, press the red button, and I'll be here within minutes to try and extract you. You only get one." He held up a finger for emphasis. "So don't cry wolf on me for no reason, got it? Good. I'll be back around nightfall for the return trip. Don't vanish on me, okay?"

"Sure thing," Joel replied, placing the device in his pocket.

"Repeat it to me."

"Don't pull the pin unless it's an emergency, and be back before dark. Want me to report that landing to Ozpin once we get back, smartass?" I said harshly, glaring daggers at him. The man must've gotten the message, because he practically ran back into the cockpit and took off without a moment's delay.

"You know, you should be nicer to pilots. They're the ones pulling our asses out of the fire, if something goes wrong," Joel chided sternly, glancing around at the work site, examining every square inch of the place.

"You really want that guy saving our asses?" I muttered under my breath, earning one last sharp look as Joel stepped forward to assign us roles.

"Alright, Ben, Reika, examine the work area. Max and I will cover residential. Sound off on the Scroll if you see anything suspicious. And stick together. We don't want to end up like the people here."

"It's only been over a week," Ben reminded him, staring off at the machinery around the work site. "Did these guys have any security drones, or anythin' like that?"

"Nope. Apparently, this mine wasn't doing so well, so the SDC decided that security bots were a waste of resources to send out here for a bum mine because of the maintenance. Instead, they just hired mercenaries headed up by one of their security heads of staff."

"So no one else has been here but us and that first team?"

"Not exactly. Ozpin gave me an updated file before we left. Seems Schnee Dust didn't want to depend on just us, and sent another survey team after the first one went missing about three days back. Guess who else we're looking for?" Joel said, holding up his Scroll. "There hasn't been any particularly bad weather or anything else, so whatever did happen should still have some kind of trail. Report in every ten minutes or so, so we know the other is okay, or if you find a live subject. We'll meet up in front of the mine in one hour. Break."

From there, we combed every inch of the site. Joel and I searched through each of the housing set ups and offices, every one of them deserted. It was as if the occupants had just... vanished, like right off the face of Remnant. We'd even found the SDC aircraft situated near the outskirts a little down from where we'd landed. It was untouched, but with no signs of the crew. The only potential clue were faint sets of tracks leading to and from the mine, but that was hardly surprising. They did work there, after all.

"No sign of a struggle anywhere," Joel wondered aloud as we moved to the mine itself. "You smell anything?"

"Like I said when we first started, I haven't picked up a thing..." I growled, irritably rubbing my nose. "Rotting food, old sweaty clothes, a lot of dirt. But no people at all."

Joel nodded, glancing around at the empty buildings. "Let's hope the other two had more luck in the last few minutes."

The first thing I noticed was was the large hole drilled into the side of the mountain, almost like a train tunnel. A large amount of machinery, such as drills, dozers, and cranes, as well as office stations for supervisors, outhouses and changing areas were present. All of it was organized neatly around the face of the mine. Ben and Reika leapt down from one of the large drills, Carson scrubbing his hands clean of grease.

"You two find anythin'!?"

"No people, and the offices and housing is deserted. The Schnee aircraft's logs said it had flown here from just outside Vale, but it hasn't moved since."

"People don't just vanish." Ben tossed the rag back into the machine's cabin.

"It's not Grimm. The fence is still intact, and the tracks are all from either the miners or the machinery," Joel wondered, crossing his arms, face deep in thought before looking up at our two teammates. "Hate to ask this of you two, but you'd probably know best. Was this...?"

"Bandits?" Ben finished for him, shaking his head along with Reika. "We thought that too, at first, when we didn't see any other tracks. But there's still no sign of a struggle. Plus there's a few other glarin' points."

"Such as...?" Joel urged him on.

"Well, I checked the machines. If this really _was_ a bum mine, then the only appealin' booty worth sackin' the place, and gettin' rid of the workers for, would be the Dust cores powerin' the place. They're rare, and worth a lot in certain parts if you find the right buyer. Problem is, though, none of those are missin'. Only stuff that's gone was the stuff in the spare storage area, but it can't have had enough to warrant this."

"Could they have just killed the miners for shits and giggles?" I wondered aloud, earning an appalled look from the former bandits. "What?" I asked hesitantly.

"No self-respectin' bandit would do that," Ben said, voice hard. "We might be criminals, but we're also businessmen out to make a profit. They wouldn't just leave a valuable take like Dust cores, especially if they had to fight for it hard enough, that it necessitated killin' everyone to get it. Even if we're talkin' terrorists or raiders, then why would they bother hidin' the bodies and clearin' up, or stickin' around for survey crews this long? Makes no sense."

"You're right. It doesn't," Joel agreed, looking off towards the mine. "The tracks lead in there. You guys check it out?"

"Wanted to wait for you two. Reika's _Sense_ only tracks Aura so well like a radar, signal gets caught, especially through those tunnels. She'd have to get close to be sure of anything." He stared at the mine. "Plus, I have a tendency to avoid going into really dark, really scary places where I can't see like this without back up."

"Fine. You're a pussy; we get it. Let's just check it out so we can get this over with!" I called out, marching off towards the opening, thoroughly tired of this boring mission that I'd had to endure a nerve rattling flight for, with no Grimm, action, or anything else remotely fun. Something about this place just felt wrong, like every sense in my body wanted me to get a hundred miles away.

"Stupid, dumb, boring assignment. Ozpin's way of shutting us in the middle of nowhere for a day. To get us out of his hair, most likely. Forget him, and his stupid... _OH SHIT!_ "

I backed away at the mouth of the cavern, scrambling away from a large device hidden behind a pile of stones stacked just inside.

" _What!?_ " My team scrambled in behind me, Joel and Reika with their weapons drawn, before backing off just as I had.

"Max... You know about this stuff. What are we looking at here?" Joel asked absently, approaching what was obviously a hastily rigged together mining charge, which wasn't in itself too dangerous. What really worried me was the four large Dust batteries welded to the blast casing, shimmering with red and yellow light as the gaseous material floated in a fluid suspension. I'd made little cherry bombs out of spare Dust rounds, but this... This was...

"It's a bomb. A _big_ bomb," I said in utter fascination, as I examined the inner workings. "A really, _really_ , _big_ bomb."

"No shit... What are we talking here, though?" he said, with a touch of annoyance and fear.

"You could blow up the whole goddamn world with this thing..." I said leaning in, enraptured in just how much simple destruction was in such a tiny package... Well, the thing was about the size of a large couch, but in regards to what it could do...

"Max!"

"Well, you could at least blow up about half of this mountain. Whoever was rigging this up knew what they were doing..." I stood up, rapping my fist against the casing, causing everyone else to jump back, swearing. "It's okay, you big babies!" I reassured them all, chuckling to myself. "The guy who built this was good, but he didn't finish it. There's no blast fuse or detonator, so unless you shoot or blow something up to disrupt one of these Dust cores, this thing's just a huge paperweight."

I grinned as Ben took a nervous step back. I could make out what looked to be grenades hanging off a bandolier on his chest, which were little side projects I'd helped him design over the week. Nothing like this monster next to me, but enough to set it off, definitely.

" _Really!?_ How 'bout a warnin' next time, Bitch!?" Ben swore under his breath as clutched at his heart, breathing heavily. "Fuckin' hell!"

"Well, least we know where the spare storage cells went..." Joel exhaled, still watching the bomb nervously. "That answers one question, though now we have to find out why someone patched this thing together in the first place..."

"Well, only..." I started, before catching a glimpse of movement from the corner of my eye, a flash of auburn hair darting deeper into the tunnel. "Hey, something just moved over there!" I pointed at the cave's mouth, drawing everyone's attention as they stared down the darkened hole, weapons raised. Ben had a small silver paring knife he'd drawn from a pouch on his belt, rifle still perched over his shoulder.

"Back off!" I snapped, as I stepped in front of the weapons, glaring at each of them. "It was a kid! A little girl, by the looks of it."

"...I don't see anyone, kid or otherwise," Ben said, eyes glowing green as his Aura enhanced his vision. Reika flashed him a few signs.

_'I really need to learn that bitch's little language.'_

"Good question. What _would_ a kid be doin' at a work site like this?"

"One of the miner's kids, maybe?" I countered, relieved that they had at least lowered their weapons.

_'Why do I care so much?'_

"The miners didn't bring family out here," Joel shot back as he walked up beside me, trying to make out anything in the pitch blackness. "You're sure you saw something?"

"Positive." I'd definitely seen something.

_'Then why couldn't I smell it, or the little bitch sense it?'_

"She probably got scared when you guys pointed your weapons at her!"

"Shit... Either way, we have to check this out, kid or no kid. If someone's down there, they'll know what happened," Joel muttered, slinging the pack off of his shoulder, opening it, and passing us each a flashlight, as well as a small gun-like device, complete with little ammo mags. "Those are paint guns, according to Ozpin. The ammo marks a surface with a glowing Dust-treated paint. Use it to mark where we've been, so we don't get lost down here. But make sure you don't use up every shot. We only have enough for two mags, each."

"Ah, Ozzy, that beautiful bastard," Ben said relieved, as he took one of the guns, before looking down at it with a nervous smile. "Don't imagine this is one of those times where we can avoid doin' this, and just say we didn't find anything?"

"Believe me, I'm starting to wish it was..." Joel agreed stonily, placing his weapon back in it's holster. "Lets just stick together, and kill anything not Faunus or Human with extreme prejudice. Understood?" We all nodded once. I had my nose, so I kept my flashlight and gun on my belt, instead opting to extend _Cerberus_ and split it into it's bladed submachine gun form.

_'Extreme prejudice. Got it.'_

I led the way into the mine, trying to ignore the fact that every animal instinct ingrained in my DNA was screaming in defiance.

_'What have we gotten ourselves into?'_

-END


	13. MOVING FORWARD

MOVING FORWARD

**_-Joel Ambrose-_ **

_'This is a bad idea...'_ I groaned internally, stepping from the cramped elevator into the CCT's open communications space. _'A very, **VERY** bad idea.'_

I walked past rows of computer terminals, many occupied by other students wrapped up in cheerful conversations with friends and relatives. After a few moments, I found the open suite I'd been assigned and sat down, the monitor springing to life with a light ring as I cleared my head.

 _"Hello, Mister Ambrose..."_ a calm female voice rang out from the speakers. _"Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center. How can I be of assistance today?"_

_'Damn, it's getting harder and harder to tell these things are AI...'_

"Ah... Yes, I need to place a call to this address..." I typed in the string of numbers my contact had provided. "Pretty sure it should be located somewhere within Atlas. I'll pay if there's a fee."

_"One moment, please..."_

The terminal then dimmed, the intelligence searching for a usable connection while running the string of numbers against known addresses, before lighting up with a loud beep as it found a recipient. Moments later, a pleasant-looking short-haired brunette, maybe a year or two older than me, appeared on the screen sporting a friendly smile.

 _"Thank you for calling the Atlas Branch of the Schnee Dust Company Research and Development Division."_ Her cheery voice wavered as she took a good look at me. I was suddenly very aware of the fact I was wearing a faded blue t-shirt and jeans.

 _'She could've warned me I'd be calling him at work...'_ I thought nervously, cursing my contact. ' _Not exactly the most professional look, I suppose.'_

 _"May I ask the nature of your call, sir?"_ she asked, regaining her composure.

"Right..." I stated confidently, sitting up in my seat. "I was hoping you could direct me to a Jake Ambrose? I was under the impression he was working under one of your staff as an intern. He's fifteen... no, sixteen, now. Big guy, really tall? I was hoping to speak with him."

The secretary nodded, a note of recognition playing across her face at the name, before accessing the terminal in front of her. _"We **do** have a Professor Jacob Ambrose employed within development by that description."_

"That's him, I think," I spoke up quickly, leaning back in my seat, brows furrowed. ' _He hasn't gone by 'Jacob' since he was five... Wait, **Professor?** '_

"You said he's employed there?"

 _"Yes! General James Ironwood brought him onto the Special Projects Think Tank personally, after acquiring one of his prototype designs,"_ she answered, a note of admiration in her voice.

 _'Look, Jake, you have a fan,'_ I thought with a grin.

_"He's a real prodigy! Sixteen, and **already** changing the world."_

"Sure is..." I agreed.

Jake had always been above and beyond his peers, tinkering with whatever he could fin. From Scrolls to Dust batteries, he worked hard to try to understand how things worked. Unlike Mom and I, Jake took after Dad, his Aura deemed unsuitable for training as a Huntsman.

Rather than mope about it as other children usually did, my younger brother had taken it in stride, developing a new chemical-based method of forging Dust-treated silver at eleven, surpassing Bastion's current formula. Add on a scary talent for robotics rare for anyone outside of the Kingdoms, plus the fact that, by thirteen, he likely knew more about Dust than my teachers at Aegis, it was no wonder he'd risen as far as he had in such a short time.

_'If only Mom and Dad could see him now...'_

_"And what exactly is your relationship to the Professor?"_ The young woman stared at me suspiciously. _"Are you a friend? A relative?"_

"His brother."

_"Brother?... That's odd... Professor Ambrose has never mentioned..."_

"He wouldn't," I cut her off a bit more sharply than I'd intended as she moved to check her file. "We, uh... We aren't exactly close," I said more calmly this time, giving her an apologetic look.

 _"I see..."_ She fidgeted in her seat nervously, frowning slightly before bringing a finger to an earpiece hidden behind her hair. _"I can try to patch you through to his Scroll. It'll just take a moment."_

She leaned away from her mic, speaking softly into the piece. I wasn't able to catch everything she was saying, but judging from her expression, what she was hearing from whoever was on the other line wasn't too positive. One quick glance at her expression told me all I needed to know.

_"I'm sorry sir... I-it seems the professor is busy at the moment. Maybe you could call back at a later time, when he's more available?"_

_'At least she's being tactful about it...'_ I thought bitterly, making a mental note to ask my contact to hack the Schnee mainframe and give this girl a paid vacation, no questions asked.

"No, it's quite alright... Just do me a favor, and make sure he gets this number." I quickly relayed my Scroll's contact info, attaching it to the call, before reaching towards the disconnect. "Just in case."

* * *

 _'Well... That could have gone worse.'_ I practically collapsed backwards onto the CCT building's front steps, closing my eyes wearily. _'I suppose he could've actually responded.'_

Leaning back, I pulled my ear buds from my pocket and placed them in my ears, cranking up the music's volume to maximum. My head swayed to the beat as I tuned out the busy world passing around me. Fast, loud, and all encompassing...

 _"...A weapon. A tool to be used by others..."_ I was jarred back into reality, as a screeching peal of laughter exploded through my eardrums, drowning out the music.

" _DAMN IT!_ " I snarled, tearing the buds from my ears angrily, slumping forward in a cold sweat as I panted heavily. "Damn it..." I said more quietly, more mindful of the fearful stares I was receiving from passersby.

 _'No, scratch that...'_ I realized, following their stares to my hands, which were at the moment sparking with wild arcs of electricity. _'Shit!'_

I tried to regain control of my Aura, but no matter what I tried, I just couldn't bring myself to calm down. "Ah, crap, not again!" I groaned, holding my hands out away from my body.

My Aura would wear out eventually, as it had for every other time this happened in the last two weeks since the mission. The sparks would fade, leaving me exhausted, starving, and somewhat charged, but relatively unharmed.

 _'What was it that Yang suggested? Punch something to calm down? Run_ _laps_? _'_ Couldn't hurt to try.

I hadn't talked to Yang about what happened the night we came back, and never brought it up again, even when we were alone together, a fact that I was more than thankful for. The whole situation just felt... awkward. I'd given the others a decent rundown on what had happened, but left out a few of the more personal details. They tried their best to beat into my skull during the early days that the mission, for all its hiccups, was a success.

_''Hiccups...' An understatement if I ever heard one...'_

We all got back relatively unharmed, with only a few minor injuries. My shoulder was the worst, by far, and even that had healed after a few days of rest. But that definitely didn't mean everything was normal.

Ben put on a good act, regaling tales of his daring heroism to any aspiring Huntress that would listen. But it all just seemed too forced to be entirely genuine. As for Murasaki, I could probably count the number of times I'd seen her anywhere in the time since on one hand.

And throughout all of that, somehow, it was possible Max was even worse, having woken up after about a day's rest in her bunk, somehow oblivious to the fact that she'd kept half a mountain from crushing us. She found ways to cope, just as Ben had, albeit in a more... _active_ capacity, having already been suspended from sparring for sending two other students to the infirmary, while simultaneously causing havoc across the school with her homemade bombs.

 _'And now my Aura's acting up for the first time in years... Just great...'_ I hadn't shocked someone unintentionally since before I'd joined the Trappers... Well... aside from a few instances in my darker moments.

" _Sal-u-tations,_ sir!" a cheery voice rang out loudly next to me, my hands sparking brightly as I jumped up.

A girl with short curly orange hair, wearing a pink bow, and sporting a pair of almost too bright green eyes, with freckles on her cheeks, stood in front of me, hands at her sides as she wore an old fashioned blouse and a pair of stockings.

 _'How did she get so close!?'_ Even distracted, I should've noticed her. _'Sloppy...'_

The girl leaned forward slightly, eyes fixed on my hands inquisitively. "Are you aware that your body is currently emitting a dangerously high level of electricity for the average male of your approximate age and build?" she said with the same level of enthusiasm as her greeting.

"Um, I'm... sorry?" I said awkwardly, taking a short step back to put some distance between us.

_'What the...?'_

"There doesn't seem to be any signs of physical harm..." she noted, examining me. "But you do seem to be experiencing agitation, likely from a recent trauma or experience... Do you need assistance or medical attention? I can alert authorities..."

"No! No." I shook my head quickly, raising my hands to stop her before jumping back to avoid touching her, cursing myself. The girl just stood there, watching me curiously, seemingly uncaring of the fact she almost received a few thousand volts to her system. "I'm fine. Really." I tried to reassure her, giving her a wide smile.

The stranger nodded. "I see... So _this_ is how people hide pain through opposing emotional outbursts and physical cues."

"Right... Wait, what?"

"Your reactions are portraying a false image of your well-being to others in an attempt to avoid causing them stress, or to allow them to assist you. My father told me that it's a common defensive response."

She gave me a smile of her own. _' **Oookay...** I am officially more than a little freaked out, right now.'_

The girl cocked her head slightly, as if she wasn't sure of something. "Is that not correct?"

"No... I-I mean yes." I scratched at my new headache when my eyes widened. I pulled my hand away, realizing that my Aura back in control.

_'Okay, note to self: this happens again, just find something else to distract you.'_

"Look, see?..." I held my hand up to show her. "All better now. Thanks."

"So you are alright now? Wonderful!" She jumped up and down excitedly, before holding out her hand. "My name's Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Joel. Likewise." I shook her hand awkwardly, wincing slightly. For a girl who was barely at my shoulders in height, she had a grip like a vice. "Thanks for your, uh... help. I appreciate it."

"I... helped you?" Penny murmured under her breath.

"Yeah, you did," I assured her.

"Then... can you help me?" She looked up at me nervously, shifting her feet slightly. "I thought I'd take a walk to the harbor and see the festival preparations, but I seem to to be lost. So..."

"So you want directions?" I finished for her, looking around at the surrounding cityscape. _'Strange girl. She's probably here with her family for the festival. Maybe the tournament.'_

Penny didn't seem to look or carry herself like a Huntress, but I supposed the same could be said for Ruby... Well, aside from the giant scythe, anyway. "I can take you down to the wharf, if that's what you want," I said after a few seconds shrugging my shoulders.

"You would do that for me?" she asked happily, a wide smile fixed on her face. "I wouldn't want to be a bother. Father always says..."

"It's alright, really! I don't have anything else to do today, anyway. Besides, I can't just let you wander around the city alone." I motioned for her to follow me. "The city might look nice, but there are some places someone like you might want to avoid. Plus, it's just the friendly thing to do."

"Friendly..." she murmured, as if testing out the word on her tongue. "Does that mean we're... _friends?_ "

I stared at her in confusion, noting the child like look on her face. _'Bit of a_ s _trange question to ask someone you've just met...'_

"Uh... Sure. Why not?" I sighed, surprised when the girl let out a shrill squeal of elation, before pulling me along the road with unexpected strength, practically dragging me along the pavement.

" _Yay!_ We're going to have such fun, friend!" Penny said in that cheery tone her voice seemed to default to.

 _'What have I gotten myself into?'_ I lamented internally, doing my best to remain upright and point out directions, as the strange girl pulled me along while humming cheerily to herself.

* * *

**_-Benjamin Carson-_ **

"Ah crap..." I muttered angrily as I stepped out of the gym's firing range to a host of cheers from those watching me. I twisted my artificial appendage in its socket with a mechanical whine, as I waved off attempted hanger-ons that I was in no mood to deal with at the moment.

Since my attempted burial by mountain, I'd been picking out dust, rocks, and other bits of residue from the components of my arm, and it had thrown off my aim a few degrees. It also itched like crazy.

 _'Could ask Rosie to work on it, if she isn't too busy. She's been itchin' to get her hands on it,'_ I groaned, scratching my head in irritation as I rounded a corner, stepping out into a garden while taking a deep breath. ' _Problems for another day... Not like I don't have enough of those...!'_

I noticed a flash of dark color from the corner of my eye and turned around. I instantly regretted it, and let out a cry of fear and surprise. One of the creatures from the caves, those wraiths, shadows, ancient horrors from the dark places of history, or whatever the fuck the Professors decided to call them, stood right in front of me, barely a foot away, reared back and ready to pounce. _Glory_ was sitting in my locker, too far away to reach. I was in shorts and a long sleeve I'd used for training, so no concealed knife.

 _'Don't need one!'_ All of that flashed through my mind in a second as I raised my right arm, all thoughts of discomfort muted by the indescribable urge to smash this fucker's head in!

"Oi, Carson!" an authoritative voice called out, giving me pause. I spun around, catching sight of a familiar canine Faunus walking down the path. She had a paint spattered bag and an easel in her arms as she shot me an irritated look. "Calm your shit, and take a closer look, would you?"

I spun back to the creature... No... It was a perfectly detailed painting of the creature, realistic to the point that it was ready to jump out of the wall and right at me.

"H... How'd you...?" I reached out hesitantly, metallic fingers meeting stone with a small clink.

"I wanted to make them real to the people here," she said simply, dropping what she held and plopping down on a small grass patch across from the wall, hands on her knees and eyes fixed on the painting.

I sorta just stood there, gaping from her, to the artwork, then back to her. " _YOU_ made that?" I gestured to the mural, plussed. "You?"

"Yes, me," she replied, removing a small sandwich from her bag. "That's mildly insulting, y'know." She continued through a mouthful of food, ears twitching.

"Forgive my disbelief..." I grinned, sitting down next to her. "It's just... Bombs, I can understand. Paintings, though? It just seems so..."

"Peaceful?" she interrupted tauntingly. "Boring?"

"I was gonna say 'delicate,' actually," I continued on, taking a closer look at the detailing. From where I sat, it was possible to tell that the beast extended no farther than the wall. But up close...

"Bomb making takes some finesse too, you know," she muttered under her breath, pouting as she took another bite. "I know it's not the best work..."

"You're kiddin', right?" I gaped at the Faunus. "Take it from me, you _definitely_ hit the realism factor." I flexed my hand. "Bit of a heart-stopper, that thing. Since when can you paint?"

"Ever since I was a kid, I suppose," she replied as she pulled a battered old sketchbook from her bag, before handing it over to me. "My parents thought I needed an outlet for my aggression."

I began sifting through the sketchbook. Inside was page after page of rough designs, landscapes, etc., each one brilliantly detailed and looking almost as if you could pluck it right off of the page. ' _Holy crap...'_

"You know, you could make a lot of money with these," I suggested, genuinely impressed. "This is just..."

"...You ever heard of Mistress Bordeaux?"

"...That big artist outta Mistral?" I recognized the name. My father's gang had "purchased" some of her work on occasion. Lots of valuables moving by train, these days...

...Wait!

" _You're her!?_ " I let out a yelp, spinning to face the embarrassed Faunus girl. "B-but she's more than _twice_ your age! There's even photos of...!"

"That's my Aunt Carmen..." Max admitted, ears drooping sadly as she pulled some grass shoots from the ground, letting them fly off with the wind. "She stepped in, and handled all of the public appearances and interviews. She thought people would respond better to my work if it looked like it came from her, rather than some no-name Faunus girl."

"Bullshit."

"No, she was right. People loved my work. And it's not like I cared if people knew it was me, or not. She handled the business end of things, and it got my family through some hard times."

"...So this was your aunt from your Human side?" I asked hesitantly.

Max nodded, a small smile playing across her lips. "My mom met my dad under... awkward circumstances. No one in Mom's family ever really approved of him, except for Carmen and her daughter, Sonia. Dad did his best to make money at one of the Schnee's quarries, but things were rough, and we didn't like asking for handouts."

"Oh." I got to the latest works, chuckling to myself.

"What?" she asked, trying to glance over my shoulder.

"You missed my good side." I showed her the drawing, a collection of sketches detailing my arm, one of which had the metal shell peeled away to show the circuitry beneath.

She snatched the book away from me, glaring angrily and... blushing. _'Aww, someone's embarrassed.'_

"I can pose, if you'd like. I know it's hard to catch this chiseled visage." I flexed, shooting her a toothy smirk and a wink.

"Shut up!" the Huntress growled, her Aura flaring suddenly. I then found myself flying through the air, impacting hard into the large pond. I broke the surface, sputtering and coughing water out, while the Faunus was at the bank, a look of panic in her eyes.

"Geez, Bitch, can't take a joke!?" I groaned, spitting some water to the side. ' _Least I don't need a shower now.'_

"Oh my God... A-are you okay!?" I glanced up, surprised to see genuine worry in the Faunus' dark eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm..."

"Uh, Max? I-it's alright." I pulled myself to shore, soaked to my skin and freezing, but none the worse for wear. "See? Still whole." I glanced down at her.

"I shouldn't have freaked out... Rrrgh, _damn it!_ " Her face scrunched up as she clutched at her hair with one fist, while rapping her head hard with the other. I noticed the faint glow again as the branches in the nearest tree started to rustle wildly. I could even make out the sound glass rattling from some of the closer window panes.

"Uh... Bitch?" I said, reaching out for the girl. The air around us seemed to shift, and, for a tense moment, gravity seemed non existent. " _MAX!_ "

The sound of her name seemed to force her back to reality. As soon as her eyes snapped open, the strange outburst of energy ceased, causing me to stumble slightly as gravity reasserted itself.

"Damn it..." She glanced up at me fearfully, eyes watering. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Stop sayin' that!" I grabbed her shoulders, staring at her intently before giving her a wide smile. "I'm okay, alright? My bad."

"...It was those _things..._ " She looked back at the wall, undisguised anger etched onto her features. "They got inside my head... I can't stop thinking about them!" She pushed me away, stomping up to the piece of graffiti. "I hate how they got in my head! How they made me do what they wanted..." She trailed off, sounding guilty. She'd avoided talking with Psycho since the mission, despite him making it perfectly clear he had no hard feelings. "I hurt Ambrose... And I almost killed you..."

"But you didn't..."

"I almost _did!_ " She turned on me, shouting now. "I see them everywhere, now. I even tried to copy that drawing of your arm from something they showed me... Their damned lie, and I bought it! They fucked with my head, and I let them!"

"And we brought a goddamn mountain down on them for it!..." I reminded her harshly, holding my arms out to my sides. "They got to everyone. Psycho was a goddamn wreck, and Reika... I don't even wanna think about what they showed her to make her act like that."

My partner had been little more than a ghost for the past few weeks. She didn't even come back to our room to sleep most nights.

The Dog girl pointed a finger at me angrily, seething now. "They didn't get you, though! Even Murasaki went nuts! You were the one who figured it out. Not Ambrose, _YOU!_... How?"

Sighing, I merely shrugged. "Guess I got lucky... Or unlucky, dependin' on how you look at...!" I flinched suddenly as the girl grabbed me, slamming me against the cold stone wall. I tried to push her off, but she wouldn't budge.

_'Right, Faunus. They're stronger than Humans.'_

"Explain," she growled, eyes glaring into mine. I tried to use my arm to push her off, but I couldn't move the appendage. Max growled, Aura back in full effect as she kept my arm affixed to the wall. " _Explain!_ " she repeated coldly.

_'So it's all good when she controls it, then...'_

"...The Grimm showed us images, yes, but I don't think they really understood what they were makin' us see, or at least how it would affect us."

"Meaning?"

My usual jovial facade was starting to break, as my face shifted to resemble what I was feeling at the moment: annoyance. "Look, Bitch, can we do this another time? I gotta...!"

She cut me off by slamming the rest of my body to the wall with her Semblance. "I've asked you two times already, and you've given me bullshit answers!" she snapped, unaware of my fists clenching at my sides. "I wanna know how the _fuck_ you didn't get caught in their trap! _NOW!_ "

" _I shot my mom!_ " I spat out, my patience having reached its limit as I used the initial shock to push her away. "There, happy!?"

The huntress took a another quick step back, eyes wide. "Y-you... W- _what!?_ "

"The one that got me was either stupid as hell, or it just didn't understand how it would make me react. Rather than calm me down, it just pissed me off."

"Y-you... You shot your own..."

She froze as I flared my own Aura, slamming my flesh and blood fist against the wall, and cratering the painted beast's head. "It's a long fuckin' story, and I _don't_ want to tell it. So do me a fuckin' solid, and don't ask." I stepped away from the destroyed mural, rubbing my now bleeding hand gingerly. "Just don't."

* * *

**_-Glynda Goodwitch-_ **

"How did he do it?..." I asked myself, for what felt like the hundredth time, as I reviewed Team AMBR's mission report.

Mr. Ambrose's account of the Grimm they encountered was especially troubling. Creatures that could manipulate the mind of their victims, even to the point of turning them against friends... Research had unearthed only a few accounts of similar creatures, but the records were old, stretching back to long before the war. It contained stories of how these monsters had snared even the most experienced of Huntsman and Huntresses.

 _'But not Benjamin... Why?'_ I removed my spectacles, massaging my aching eyelids. "Murasaki..."

It was not as if he was the only one to break their hold. Reika had as well, though that was due more to her Semblance, and even then her emotional state was compromised.

 _'Carson kept his senses, and went on to extract his team...'_ According to the report, he had located information provided by one Leon Bastet, head foreman of the site. Perhaps he had a trick to resist them? _'But that was after the first encounter. That couldn't be the reason... If only the boy weren't so tight-lipped.'_

A sudden rap at the door broke me from my reverie. "Come in."

Speak of the devil. Reika Murasaki walked through the doorway, looking as if she'd been sleeping on the roof. Her clothes and hair were disheveled, and she seemed to be covered in a fine layer of dust.

 _'She hasn't improved...'_ I thought grimly, noticing the wild look in her eyes through her curtain of hair, face unreadable under her mask.

"Ah, Reika. Take a seat..." I gestured to the open seat in front of me, showing the girl a warm expression. "I was getting worried when you stopped coming to our sessions. Your team leader even put in a request to locate you."

 _"I don't want to be around the others, at the moment..."_ the girl signed, fingers blurring rapidly in front of her so quickly, that even I had trouble translating. _"I appreciate their concern, but I am fine."_

"Really?" I motioned towards her appearance. "Reika, I'm here if you want to talk..."

_"That's what I'm here for."_

I paused, asking her to repeat the motion again for reassurance. "You... You're certain?... Well then... What would you like to talk about?"

 _"What I saw in that cave..."_ The small girl shook her head, as if to steel herself, before continuing. _"I've been running it through my mind... And I wanted to discuss it with you. Get insight."_

"Have you spoken with anyone else on this matter? Mr. Carson, perhaps..."

 _" **NO!** "_ she interjected quickly, waving a hand to stop me. _"Not Ben! You will not tell him!... He'll only worry."_

I wanted to argue, but the look the young woman shot me froze the words in my throat. "Alright..." I nodded in surrender, grabbing up my Scroll, and clearing a blank space, opening Miss Murasaki's file. "Tell me everything. I promise that your team won't be informed."

-END


End file.
